Technology in favor oflearning

The use of digital Technologies is promoting greater learning opportunities in Educational Institutions of different levels and, for that reason, mobile devices are an important educational resource for young adults and teenagers. This generation of “digital natives” was born dominating the use of mobile technology and, when properly stimulated and with pedagogical goals, are able of taking over the leading role in the teaching-learning process inside and outside the classroom.

For two years in a role, the students of the 8th grade of Colégio Santa Maria have replaced the traditional printed handouts for their smartphones during studies carried out in neighborhoods such as Bras, Bixiga and Barra Funda. Carrying their mobile devices equipped with an app developed by the teachers in a free software (www.fabricadeaplicativos.com.br), the kids had the opportunity of investigating, understanding and reflecting on the different migration processes that contribute with São Paulo’s cultural identity, collecting and storing sounds, images and testimonials during the itinerary proposed by the study.

Besides being environmentally sustainable, since hundreds of printed handouts were not produced saving paper and ink, the use of devices of mobile technology generates a greater relation of the school learning with the student’s reality.

During the immersion in Bras, Bixiga and Barra Funda, traditional neighborhoods in São Paulo, the students of the 8th grade visited the Immigration Museum and understood the importance of the immigrant in the construction of our identity and history. In Bixiga, Bela Vista, the students were divided in groups and got to know major landmarks of the Italian culture, such as Achiropita Church and typical restaurants.

After this great experience being lived and data, images, sounds and personal registers being collected, the students, divided in groups, started the work “after field”. They were allowed to select images, transcribe testimonials, write texts and have academic discussions about the material collected during some classes and, finally, they could insert what they learned in apps for mobile devices produced by themselves that would later be presented to the public during the “Semana de Pe. Moreau”. They also produced a theater play about the three neighborhoods, Brás, Bixiga e Barra Funda, talking about their cultural and social aspects at the beginning of the 20th century and now, in the 21st century. It was an absolute success! These kids showed great sensibility and understanding of the book “Brás, Bexiga e Barra Funda”, de AlcântaraMachad and during the field trip.

Author: Haroldo Bueno e Ariete F. Moreira