The use of Internet via cell phone increases among public and private school teachers

6th edition of the TIC Education survey by Cetic.br also investigates the use of Internet on cell phones in activities with students

In Brazil, teachers are beginning to incorporate mobile technologies to aid pedagogical activities. In 2015, the percentage of teachers who also used their cell phones to access the Internet increased compared to the last year of the survey: from 66% in 2014 to 85% in 2015. With the widespread use of mobile Internet, over one-third of teachers (39%) stated they use the device for activities with students.

The data comes from the TIC Education 2015 survey, released this Thursday (29th) by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), through the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Information and Coordination Center of .BR (NIC.br).

The increase in Internet access via cell phone has been highlighted as a trend both in the TIC Education survey and in other surveys by CGI.br on technology usage habits among various audiences. This year, for the first time, the survey collected data on Internet use on cell phones for teaching and learning activities, showing that the adoption of the device in activities with students was mentioned by 39% of teachers: 36% from public schools and 46% from private schools.

There was also an increase by 6 points compared to 2014 in the percentage of students who said they used their cell phones as one of the means to access the Internet: from 72% to 78%. The TIC Education survey also pointed out that 46% of teachers brought their own laptops to school for school management and pedagogical activities, while 14% brought their own tablet.

Use of computers and the Internet for pedagogical activities

The study shows that 73% of teachers used computers and the Internet in at least one of the activities with students investigated by the survey (with a result of 70% among public school teachers and 84% in private schools). The activities most cited by teachers in the use of computers and the Internet were: requesting students to carry out work on specific topics (59%), requesting group work (54%), giving lectures (52%), and requesting exercises (50%).

Regarding Internet use only, the number of public school teachers who used the computer lab is greater (35%) than those who used the Internet in the classroom (23%). Among private school teachers, the situation is reversed: Internet use in the classroom (50%) surpasses use in the computer lab (29%).

"For the first time, the survey separately collected the location where teachers use computers and where they use the Internet for activities with students. Despite the infrastructure disparity between public and private schools, we observed that Internet use in various spaces of the school via wireless networks is a trend," explains Alexandre Barbosa, manager at Cetic.br.

TIC Infrastructure in Schools

In 2015, data showed that 93% of public schools in urban areas had some Internet access, an infrastructure that is universalized among private schools. In the classroom, however, Internet access was available in 43% of public schools and 72% of private schools.

The use of the Internet in the classroom is also reinforced by the strong presence of wireless networks: 84% of public schools and 94% of private schools with Internet access had Wi-Fi. Among public schools, only 22% allowed students to use the wireless network (Wi-Fi), while 62% restricted its use. In private schools, the percentage of institutions restricting Wi-Fi use (58%) is lower, and a larger number allow student access (35%).

"While the vast majority of Brazilian school students stated they access the Internet via cell phones and a growing portion of teachers have developed activities using this device, there are still obstacles to Internet access for the school community, and in most cases, Wi-Fi access is restricted for students. This is a topic that deserves broad discussion among educators and policymakers," opines Barbosa.

Collaboration Networks

In 2015, 39% of teachers claimed to have taken a specific course in their undergraduate studies on the use of ICT in pedagogical activities; among respondents under 30 years old, this number is 54%. Beyond institutional programs, 91% of teachers said they learn to use computers and the Internet on their own or update themselves about them.

However, the survey highlights the importance of collaboration networks among educators: 70% of teachers said they learn to use computers and the Internet through informal contact with other teachers, and 44% through a group of teachers at their own school.

Just like in sharing experiences about the use of ICT in teaching and learning activities, 95% of Internet-user teachers said they use resources obtained on the Internet out of personal motivation, while 63% mentioned colleagues or other educators as sources of motivation.

"These data suggest that in the teacher training agenda, peer mediation deserves more attention and can be a way to ease teacher engagement with ICT. In addition to the support from pedagogical coordination and training courses, exchanges with other teachers are extremely important. It is necessary to consider the teacher himself as a multiplier in the school," reinforces Alexandre Barbosa.

Conducted annually, the survey is in its 6th edition and aims to monitor the use and appropriation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by education system actors, in public and private schools of Primary and Secondary Education, in urban areas, with an emphasis on teaching and learning activities and school management. Data collection took place between September and December 2015, through interviews with 898 directors, 861 pedagogical coordinators, 1,631 teachers, and 9,213 students.

To access the complete survey, as well as review the historical series, visit https://cetic.br/pesquisa/educacao/indicadores.

Compare the evolution of the indicators through the data visualization available at: https://data.cetic.br/cetic/explore?idPesquisa=TIC_EDU.

About Cetic.br

The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society, a department of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on the availability and use of the Internet in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information on the development of the network in the country. Cetic.br is a Regional Study Center, under the auspices of UNESCO. More information at https://www.cetic.br/.

About the Information and Coordination Center of .BR — NIC.br

The Information and Coordination Center of .BR — NIC.br (https://www.nic.br/) is a civil, private, non-profit entity that implements the decisions and projects of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee. Permanent activities of NIC.br include coordinating domain name registration — Registro.br (https://www.registro.br/), studying, responding, and handling security incidents in Brazil — CERT.br (https://www.cert.br/), studying and researching network technologies and operations — Ceptro.br (https://www.ceptro.br/), producing indicators on information and communication technologies — Cetic.br (https://www.cetic.br/), implementing and operating Internet Exchange Points — IX.br (https://ix.br/), enabling the Brazilian community's participation in the global development of the Web and subsidizing the formulation of public policies — Ceweb.br (https://www.ceweb.br), and hosting the W3C office in Brazil (https://www.w3c.br/).

About the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee – CGI.br

The Brazilian Internet Steering Committee is responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the Internet's use and development in Brazil, coordinating and integrating all Internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and dissemination of the offered services. Based on the principles of multistakeholderism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic Internet governance model praised internationally, where all sectors of society partake equitably in its decisions. One of its formulations is the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://www.cgi.br/principios). More information at https://www.cgi.br/.

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