Quadro interativo multimédiaa nova janela para a aprendizagem no Ensino Básico : presença, usos e metodologias no Norte de Portugal

Resumo

In the beginning of the 21st century, numerous changes impact on and put pressure on education virtually everywhere; the future of education hence relies on the pace of innovation we are able to set, on the know-how we are able to input, on the results obtained along the way, and on the ability to continually engage teachers and students in a new culture and ethics of education. Education therefore requires an innovative school that is not only sensitive to the interests of students but also open to a future that is not put in jeopardy. Anyone working in the field of education requires many skills, professionalism and updating to motivate, attract the attention, discuss, communicate and find strategies to foster the quality of education and counter school failure. It is within this context of technological modernisation of the Portuguese school that the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) has emerged as an additional teaching resource within the classroom; by being both motivating and simple, it is intended to resolve some of the difficulties, problems and challenges in education. Therefore, the cornerstone of this research which is technical and practical in nature, divided into 5 chapters, is the study of the use of the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) by Elementary Education school principals and teachers of five districts in northern Portugal (from the coastline to the interior - Viana do Castelo, Braga, Oporto, Vila Real and Bragança), including an assessment of Good Practice mediated by that technology and the resulting changes in the teaching / learning process. We have also reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of its implementation in educational settings, listing the different types of existing interactive whiteboards on the market and some usage tips, focusing also on the IWB in the international context and its impact on Portuguese classrooms. A mixed-model research was used and as data was collected and analysed, the study revealed features of a case study. Data analysis was done by cross-checking information from different sources and instruments (documentary analysis, questionnaires to 45 school principals and 1471 teachers, interviews with 28 teachers and 22 classroom observations of teachers who received training in the IWB), allowing to triangulate results and reach conclusions. Throughout this study we emphasized teachers’ and principals’ thoughts on this new technological tool and concluded that the use of the IWB in education is an added-value for teaching if we make the most of its pedagogical potential. Although without definite certainties but hopeful about the future, we presented a methodological model for use of the IWB, built upon the data gathered and upon all our considerations because we believe that it is by sharing experiences that we actually learn.