UTILIZAÇÃO DE TECNOLOGIAS DIGITAIS NA SALA DE AULA NO 1.º CICLO DO ENSINO BÁSICO E A TRANSFORMAÇÃO DIGITAL DOS PROFESSORES

Abstract

In a 21st-century society characterized by constant transformations inherent in the continuous and inevitable technological evolution, immense challenges are proposed to schools, teachers, and students in Portugal. It was within this framework of challenges, and assuming that the integration of Digital Technologies (DT) in education enhances a reconfiguration in the way students and teachers think and act, that the study is based. The study aimed to identify possible challenges posed to schools and teachers by the digital transition process in education; identify the importance teachers attribute to the training they received in DT; understand how DT is being used in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education classroom, and identify the effects of DT integration on teaching-learning processes.

Data were collected through participant observation of the curricular practices of three 1st Cycle of Basic Education teachers from a school in the Greater Porto region, followed by semi-structured interviews. Data were also collected through two focus groups with all 1st Cycle of Basic Education teachers from the school where the study was conducted.

The results suggest that teachers recognize the use of DT in basic education as an asset in their educational action, especially for the possibility of creating more engaging learning environments, enriching students' experiences, and expanding collaborations and connections between teachers and students. Although they recognize these as positive effects of DT use in the school context, the data do not show a clear relationship between this use of DT and teaching-learning processes. The analysis also revealed some constraints regarding the integration of DT into teachers' curricular practices, justified by feelings of insecurity in using these tools and, above all, by lack of time.

In this sense, teachers consider continuous training in the field of DT to be very relevant for improving their practices, considering that participating in actions in this field will simultaneously contribute to their professional development and to students' motivation for learning.

Despite this positive trend in the data, and the observation of occasional situations indicating changes in attitudes and strategies in teachers' daily practices, it is possible to observe that they use DT in the classroom context to replace or improve existing tools in the teaching-learning task. That is, it is noted that the use of DT in the classroom more often serves as a means to support teachers' work rather than as a resource to improve students' learning.