Cetic.br gathers experts in a debate on education and digital culture

In a debate marked by the launch of the publications of the ICT Households 2016, ICT Education 2016 and ICT Kids Online Brazil 2016 surveys, national and international experts discussed the advances and challenges of formulating public policies in the area of education and digital culture last Thursday (23). Held by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), the meeting was guided by topics such as digital inclusion, inequalities, development of digital skills, and innovation.

Demi Getschko, Director-President of NIC.br, reminded during the opening that "part of the resources obtained through domain registration are reverted into actions that benefit the Internet in Brazil, including the Cetic.br surveys". On the same occasion, Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br, highlighted the launch, also on 11/23, of the Connected Education Innovation Policy, which had the collaboration of NIC.br, through Cetic.br and Ceptro.br (Center for Studies and Research in Network Technologies and Operations).

The Federal Government Program, which aims to promote the pedagogical use of ICT in schools, will use the Internet Traffic Measurement System (SIMET) software to measure the quality of the Internet connection in Brazilian schools. The initiative was also commented on by Rossieli Soares da Silva, Secretary of Basic Education of the Ministry of Education of Brazil, who recorded a video statement especially for the event.

Introducing the debate "Education and digital culture: advances and challenges for public policies", Barbosa commented on the results of the 2016 editions of the ICT Households, ICT Kids Online Brazil, and ICT Education surveys. "The surveys show that there is still a huge gap between the child's world outside of school and the practices adopted in educational systems. Outside the school walls, the actors are already immersed in digital culture, while the school, more precisely the classroom, still do not fully enjoy the opportunities arising from the use of technology," he considered. In Barbosa's opinion, digital transformation has generated new demands in the educational field, in addition to the urgent need for the promotion and development of new skills.

"The production of reliable data and statistics to understand these phenomena is fundamental. Cetic.br believes it is contributing to the formulation of more effective public policies, and that it can also raise awareness among the different actors of society about these issues," he concluded. Annually, Cetic.br conducts more than 100,000 individual interviews for all the surveys it produces.

Digital policies and skills

Professor at the Center for Comparative Policies in Education at Diego Portales University (Chile), Ignacio Jara pointed out that digital policies in school systems should be based on three ideas and purposes: contribute to digital inclusion; use technology to improve the pedagogical and learning process; and incorporate new types of competencies linked to technology, with innovation as the main goal.

"So far, most studies show that the use of technology outside the classroom has not yet had an immediate impact on learning outcomes. This maturation process is slow and has benefited more tangibly students from more privileged social contexts with rich cultural backgrounds," he warned.

In Ignacio's assessment, it is necessary to go beyond traditional training. "How are we going to introduce students more deeply into the digital world, not only as users and producers of information but as creators of technology?" he questioned.
Debate

With the moderation of Gabriela Mora, officer of the Adolescent Development and Participation area of UNICEF in Brazil, the debate brought new contributions from experts on issues such as digital skills and innovation in education. "We have an uncritical view of so-called digital natives as if they had the ability to self-educate. Whose responsibility is this and how can we contribute to supporting this generation?" Gabriela introduced. She also pointed out the mechanisms she considers fundamental for the digital literacy process, such as creative expression, participation in collaborative networks, reflection on economic and political aspects of technological platforms, critical thinking, participation, and citizenship.

Discussing digital culture in school is a very complex subject, evaluated professor Leila Iannone, scientific consultant of the ICT and Education Survey. "This complexity increases as we think about the school universe that moves through the daily tension of conservation and transformation. While we desire the advancement of innovations, we simultaneously have the aspect of conservation, the resistance to building a new knowledge model".

For the professor, digital culture in the school and of the school passes through the intervention of different educational actors, community members, and family. "Each school will create its culture and will transit through digital cultures inherent to those niches of knowledge construction," she analyzed. From the perspective of teacher training, Leila invited reflection. "What kind of training do we need to promote? In what conditions do teachers work in their public and private institutions? What is expected from the training of new generations? Having infrastructure and access will not transform education, but a new curriculum with prepared educational actors will. I invite everyone to think about the next steps".

The debate also featured the participation of Fernando José de Almeida, a professor at PUC-SP, who highlighted the importance of Cetic.br's work. "The set of Cetic.br publications provides the possibility to interpret the Country we live in. This is innovative, as it views technology as something of profound commitment to the creation and improvement of the concept of nation. Cetic.br's contribution is toward generating knowledge".

Regarding the school environment, Almeida noted that this space should be one of reflection and thought, listing characteristics he considers essential: causing amazement, generating a capacity for indignation, and enabling students to write their worldviews. Almeida also advocated a humanized curricular proposal and reinforced that technology brings immense hope for the expansion of knowledge.

Indicators, analyses, and microdata

Launched during the event, the publications are available for free download at https://cetic.br/publicacoes/indice/pesquisas/. The books present indicators and articles on topics such as innovation and technology in education; advertising directed at children on the network; digital exclusion, internet access, and sociodemographic conditions, among others.

In October, Cetic.br made available the microdata from the ICT Households 2015 survey. Soon, it will also be possible to access the microdata from the 2016 edition of the same survey and also from the last two editions of ICT Kids Online Brazil surveys.

This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.