MC-Learning: práticas colaborativas na escola com o suporte da tecnologia móvel

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the use of mobile devices in a collaborative learning experience between a teacher and her students of the 7th grade of the elementary school. For this purpose, it tries to understand how these devices are able to promote collaborative production in and beyond the school and in which learning contexts they can be incorporated. The study presents as the teaching activities influenced the development of a pedagogical project linking curriculum content, mobile technologies and real experiences in the community. This research also investigates the teaching practice supported by these technologies, their ownership, planning, integration of activities and challenges faced throughout the process. The practices of a science teacher for the development of an educational project with a group of students from the 7th grade of elementary school in a public school of the state of Ceará, Brazil, were investigated. The collection instruments used were semi-structured interviews and observations from classes and field diary. As methodological procedures it was chosen a qualitative approach to the use of action research, involving the collaborative work of a teacher who was interested in contributing to the immediate resolution of practical concerns. Elements of the Strauss and Corbin (2008) theory were used for data analysis. The results are presented in two macro-categories, Teaching Practice Supported by Mobile Devices and Mobile Collaborative Learning, linked to the theoretical framework. From the commonalities among them and because of the research objectives, examined categories emerged from the group of concepts abstracted from the literature according to the explanatory more abstract terms. The speeches of the interviewee, the records of the observations from classes and the field diary were analyzed and coded by checking sentence by sentence comparing the properties and the essential dimensions of the event, combining the similarities. Thus, the subcategories originated from these analyzes were related to interest categories of this research. The results indicate that the elements that support Mobile Collaborative Learning, from the teaching practice supported by mobile devices, recognize the importance of the teacher as motivator, mediating and involving students in discussions on the topics studied in different learning contexts. The research is distinguished from other ones because it investigates how a teacher and her students appropriated mobile applications and devices to perform collaborative actions inside and outside the classroom in different learning situations. Other results show that it is possible to work with different devices, operating systems and applications, as long as the teacher is prepared to use the curriculum content in an integrated and coordinated manner in formal, non-formal and informal contexts. However, investments in teacher training, equipment maintenance and wireless Internet connection are necessary to integrate these technologies to school activities. Besides, it is necessary to make more flexible learning activities, both in planning and in implementation, and rethink public policies in order to encourage and foster the use of mobile devices in school, especially those belonging to the students.