Informática educativa na rede municipal de Caxias Sul: 20 anos de história - 1992-2012

Abstract

Computers have been a part of education for at least 40 years; however, the History of Technology in Education is not yet a consolidated field in educational history research. During this period, in Brazil, some schools began to incorporate computing as a learning resource, as was the case with the Municipal Education Network of the City of Caxias do Sul. In this context, this thesis investigates how pedagogical thinking was formed and its implications in the field of Educational Informatics in the municipal network of Caxias do Sul, from 1992 to 2012. The chosen research methodology is qualitative, with Cultural History as the theoretical foundation. The approaches include documentary research, based on sources collected in archives and institutions, as well as Oral History through semi-structured interviews and narratives. Finally, content analysis was conducted through a series of procedures, such as word frequency analysis using a script, the use of word clouds to represent the most frequent words, the use of spreadsheets for data organization, and data modeling in PowerBI, a data analysis software. As results, it was found that the initial initiatives in educational informatics were carried out by independent, visionary individuals who, despite the absence of public policies, developed their own initiatives and managed to establish the first computer labs. From 1992, there were initial efforts by the public authorities focused on educational informatics in the municipality of Caxias do Sul. Over the following twenty years, several schools received computers, especially through resources from the National Program of Educational Technology (PROINFO), which facilitated the computerization of schools. In terms of pedagogical thinking, it was discovered that over the twenty years analyzed, the pedagogical thinking was based on the constructivist perspective, primarily influenced by Jean Piaget, Seymour Papert, Léa Fagundes, and others. In the early years, there was a clear influence of Paulo Freire's thinking, particularly related to literacy and popular education. These concepts were articulated as the basis for the formation of the pedagogical thinking in the municipal network of Caxias do Sul from 1992 to 2012. Moreover, it is important to highlight that a network of teachers enabled the progress of educational informatics and its continuation to the present day. These teachers were also responsible for promoting this pedagogical thinking. This research fills a gap in the history of education by investigating the formation of pedagogical thinking and its relationship with Educational Informatics. In addition to shedding light on the development of technology in education, the findings highlight educational informatics projects, attempts to implement public policies, and the pedagogical influences that shaped the technological integration in the schools of the municipal education network. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]