Tecnologias digitais da informação e comunicação para fins educacionais na formação inicial de professores de Inglês

Abstract

This Ph.D. research aimed at investigating four student-teachers´perceptions about learning and pedagogical practices with the use of technologies, observing their perceptions about the insertion of technologies in English teaching-learning as well as the promotion of these student-teachers´ digital literacy in a subject which is part of the curriculum of an English-language teaching undergraduate program. This study is grounded on theoretical discussions regarding the uses of Information and Communication Digital Technologies (PRENSKY, 2010, 2012; BRAVO; COSLADO, 2012; COMITÊ GESTOR DA INTERNET NO BRASIL, 2014, 2016; FAVA, 2014, 2016; PISCHETOLA, 2016; among others), digital literacy (WARSCHAUER, 2006; LEMKE, 2010; SAVAGE; BARNET, 2015; DUDENEY; HOCKLY; PEGRUM, 2016; to mention a few), reflective teacher education (DEWEY, 1910; GÓMEZ, 1995; SCHÖN, 1995, 2000; CELANI, 2003, 2010a, 2010b; RAMOS; FREIRE, 2009; among others) and technological-digital and pedagogical teacher education (ALMEIDA; VALENTE, 2011; FANTIN; RIVOLTELLA, 2013; KENSKI, 2013, 2015; BATES, 2016; to mention a few). As for the methods, this research is considered an interpretativist, qualitative case study (MOITA-LOPES, 1994; STAKE, 1995; YIN, 2015) in Applied Linguistics. The research instruments used were: three questionnaires, an interview, reflective reports, Facebook activities, a self-assessment report, and the researcher´s field notes. The research data were gathered in a curricular subject on technologies in an English-language teaching undergraduate program at a federal university in the north of Brazil. The results point out that a specific academic subject on technologies plays a relevant role in English-language teaching undergraduate programs, since not only does it provide learning diversity with different digital technological interfaces, but it also allows the teacher-to-be to reflect upon the potential and appropriation of these technologies for teaching purposes. On this aspect, the research data show that the subject on technology fulfilled one of its roles in the curriculum of the English-language teaching undergraduate program in focus by promoting, by means of reflective practices, the participants´ digital literacy. This literacy was developed through the familiarization of the participants with diverse digital technological interfaces for educational purposes, which were unknown to them at the beginning of the subject. It is argued, therefore, that Information and Communication Digital Technologies will provide many benefits when incorporated into classroom pedagogy in a reflexive, functional and critical way, as well as bring important contributions to English-language teaching undergraduate students´education