INTERACTIONS MEDIATED BY TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM: THE USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Abstract

The National Program for Access to Secondary Education and Employment (Pronatec), created by the federal government has offered, in recent years, training in technical courses at post-secondary level for young people and adults inserted in the educational system and who were attending or finishing high school, including the Youth and Adult Education system (EJA). Thus, some classes of technical courses presented a varied profile of students from teenagers who attend public schools and even older adults who are returning to school after years of absence from the education system. The present study analyzed four groups of students aged between 15 and 63 years. This age difference, how the oldest students use or not technology and the kind of relationship between the students in the classroom raised questions about their relationship on social networks. This network usage by the students significantly influenced the pedagogical practice during the course, considering that the students asked the teacher to use it as a teaching and learning resource. The students transit from reality to virtual world with the naturalness of people who were born inserted in this context of interactions mediated by technology.

Keywords

• Interações mediadas. Redes sociais. Educação profissional.