Entre o quadro e o notebook: apropriação das tecnologias móveis digitais de informação e comunicação e a prática docente dos professores universitários

Abstract

In recent decades, the understanding of teacher education in the field of Natural Sciences (NS) has undergone several changes, mainly regarding the appreciation and deepening of pedagogical aspects associated with the applied dimension of physics, chemistry, and biology, which have come to include emerging social demands in society. Considering the context of digital cultures, in which technological advancement influences various aspects of our daily lives, conceptualizing teacher education and practice that includes the integration of mobile digital information and communication technologies (MDICT) into educational processes corresponds to a real and urgent need. Given this context, we aim to understand how professors in the NS degree programs at the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS), São Cristóvão Campus, appropriate MDICT for their teaching practice. We highlight that this research is linked to the Technologies, Languages, and Education research line of the UFS Graduate Program in Education (PPGED/UFS) and also to the Communication and Technology Research Group (NUCA/UFS/CNPq). As a background for constructing reflections and writing this text, we embrace critical epistemology according to Japiassu's perspective (1992), the understanding of critical teaching practice from Freire's perspective (2022 and 2023), teacher education from the perspectives of Gatti (2016 and 2017), Nóvoa (2022), Ferrete and Ferrete (2017), and Lucena (2016), and self-formation from the perspective of Galvani (2002) and Pineau (1985). For the methodological framework, we adopt a qualitative approach, which is characterized as descriptive and exploratory regarding its objectives, and as observational field research regarding its means. The research was conducted at the Federal University of Sergipe, specifically in the departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, with the participation of 45 professors from Natural Sciences programs who teach courses in these departments. Data were produced through document analysis, questionnaire administration, interviews, and observations, and analyzed using Bardin's content analysis perspective (2016) with the assistance of the Iramuteq software. The analysis of the data collected from the questionnaires, interviews, and observations revealed that, although the majority of university professors in the NS field at UFS did not receive teaching training during their undergraduate or graduate studies, they sought to understand how to incorporate MDICT into their teaching practice through a self-formation process. This may have enabled the development of methodological strategies with pedagogical intentionality in integrating digital technologies into the teaching process. Therefore, we consider that the research participants are integrating MDICT into their teaching practices and, consequently, moving toward technological appropriation. However, at all stages of the investigation, we identified that precarious infrastructure and internet access can represent significant barriers to teaching practice integrated with MDICT. In light of this, we suggest improvements to the internet network to provide stable, high-quality connectivity throughout the campus. We also suggest the creation of spaces equipped with more advanced MDICT, such as laptops and projectors with modern hardware and software that can foster a more diversified teaching practice within digital cultures. Finally, we suggest that continuing education for university professors regarding digital technologies in education be institutionalized by UFS in order to enable professors to integrate MDICT into their teaching practice, which will diversify methodological strategies and certainly contribute to the improvement of higher education at this institution.