THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGIES ON TEACHING AND LEARNING: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM

Abstract

This scientific article is an extension of a Master's research that investigated the impact of the integration of Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) in the teaching-learning process, particularly in the context of the implementation of the New High School Curriculum (NEM). Given the acceleration of digital culture, the research aimed to answer: How do new technologies impact the teaching and learning process of students in the context of the New High School Curriculum? The study, with a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach, used mixed questionnaires applied to teachers and students and semi-structured interviews with school administrators as data collection instruments, followed by data analysis using the Content Analysis technique (Bardin, 2016). The results revealed that, although DICTs are universally recognized as enhancing engagement, personalization, and curriculum flexibility, their implementation is severely limited by the precariousness of technological infrastructure and, more critically, by the insufficiency of specific continuing education for the pedagogical use of digital resources. It is concluded that overcoming digital inequality and the effective implementation of the NEM proposals depend on the urgent formulation of public policies that invest massively in teacher training and guarantee universal access to technology as a basic right. Contemporary society, marked by the ubiquity of information and digital interconnection, imposes a profound redefinition of social institutions, with schools being one of the most pressured to adapt to this new reality (KENSKI, 2012). Continuous access to digital technology is a new right of full citizenship (MORAN, 2012), and the school has the unavoidable role of integrating Digital Information and Communication Technologies (DICT) to train competent citizens for the 21st century. In Brazil, the challenge of technological adaptation gained specific contours with the enactment of Law No. 13,415/2017, which instituted the New High School Curriculum (NEM). The curriculum reform aims to increase flexibility and deepen education, integrating, at its core, Digital Culture as one of the General Competencies of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC, 2017). However, a simple legal change does not guarantee the transformation of practice. Brazil faces a paradox: while students are digital natives and technology dominates their daily lives, schools often lack the infrastructure and a fully qualified teaching staff to translate this reality into the classroom. The relevance of this study lies precisely in the need to map this gap. The Master's research that gave rise to this article sought to investigate the perceptions of the main actors (teachers and managers) about the real impact of ICTs and the factors that act as facilitators or barriers in light of the complexity of the New High School Curriculum. The research problem that guided this work was: How do new technologies impact the teaching and learning process of students in the context of the New High School Curriculum? The general objective was to ascertain the impact of new technologies on education for teaching and learning in the context of the New High School Curriculum. The initial hypothesis suggests that, despite the transformative potential, the insertion of ICTs is permeated by structural and formative challenges that limit their pedagogical effectiveness. This article is structured in five sections, in addition to this Introduction: Theoretical Framework, Methodological Procedures, Analysis and Discussion of Results, and Final Considerations, followed by the References. The digital transformation of society is irreversible. Vani Kenski (2012) argues that technology is not just an instrument, but a factor that reshapes ways of thinking, acting, and interacting, requiring a redefinition of educational processes. The challenge for the school does not lie in denying technology, but in its critical incorporation. José Manuel Moran (2012) emphasizes that the physical and virtual worlds are complementary. Education must shift from a model centered on passive transmission to a hybrid, active model focused on personalization and engagement, using ICTs as catalysts for this process. ICTs, in their broadest sense, encompass hardware, software, and communication networks that, when applied to education, have the potential to make learning more flexible, interactive, and accessible (BRAGA; MORAES, 2009). However, their mere presence in the school does not guarantee learning; it is the pedagogical intentionality of the teacher, mediated by solid training, that transforms the technological resource into an educational tool. The New High School Curriculum (NEM), established by Law No. 13,415/2017, restructures the final stage of Basic Education, expanding the workload and introducing curricular flexibility through the Formative Pathways. The National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), a normative document for the curriculum, enshrines Digital Culture as a transversal competence, requiring students to learn to use digital languages ​​to "communicate, access and produce information and knowledge, solve problems and exercise protagonism and authorship in personal and collective life" (BRAZIL, 2017). Therefore, the NEM not only allows the use of technology, but requires it as a fundamental part of education. The central issue is that the implementation of this model, which is proposed as innovative and connected, occurs in a scenario of profound regional and socioeconomic inequalities, where the promise of access and infrastructure often does not materialize, generating a mismatch between legislation and school reality. The Master's research that supports this article was conducted with a qualitative approach, seeking to deepen the understanding of the meanings, beliefs and experiences of educational actors (MINAYO, 2001). In relation to the objectives, it is a descriptive and exploratory study, aiming to outline an overview of the impact of ICTs on the NEM. The textual material (transcripts of interviews and open-ended responses from questionnaires) was treated using the Content Analysis technique (BARDIN, 2016). The stages of pre-analysis, exploration of the material (coding) and treatment of the results (inference and interpretation) were carried out, which allowed the emergence of central categories of analysis. The case study was conducted at the Colégio Estadual Yeda Barradas Carneiro, a public school in the state network that offers full-time secondary education. The institution was chosen because it is experiencing the process of implementing the New High School Curriculum, with actions and projects that directly involve the use of educational technologies, making the environment conducive to the analysis of the impact of these technologies on the teaching and learning process. Data collection involved mixed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews applied to the following groups of 40 full-time high school students, of whom 22 are from the 3rd year and 18 from the 2nd year. The selection focused on these series because they had already experienced more broadly the changes proposed by the New High School Curriculum, including the inclusion of elective components, in-depth learning pathways, and the use of digital technologies in daily school life. The age of the participants ranged from 15 to 20 years, most of the participating teachers have a degree in Literature (50%), followed by Biological Sciences (20%), Mathematics, History and Physical Education (10% each), and semi-structured interviews were conducted with school administrators to complement the data collection. The data analysis converged on three main categories that reflect the complexity of integrating ICTs in the context of the New High School Curriculum: the perceived pedagogical potential, the structural barrier (infrastructure and access), and the urgency of continuing education. Most participants (teachers and administrators) recognized ICTs as a powerful ally for modern teaching. The statements indicated that the use of interactive platforms, educational software, and multimedia resources contributes significantly to student engagement and the personalization of teaching. The flexible curriculum of the New High School Curriculum, with the offer of Formative Pathways, is perceived as an ideal space for the application of active methodologies mediated by technology. Teachers highlighted the possibility of creating materials more relevant to the students' reality, facilitating the application of concepts in practical and digital scenarios, such as the development of collaborative projects and the production of content on social media (BAUER; GASKELL, 2002). In contrast to the pedagogical optimism, the category of challenges revealed that the precarious infrastructure is the most immediate and tangible barrier. Administrators and teachers reported the chronic lack of functional computer labs, the insufficiency of devices (computers or tablets) and, decisively, the deficient or non-existent internet connection in many school facilities. This scenario creates a "facade of inclusion," where legislation requires digital technology, but the material condition of the school prevents its practice. Furthermore, the inequality of access among the students themselves (some with state-of-the-art devices, others with none) reinforces digital exclusion, transforming technology into a factor that can increase, rather than decrease, educational disparities (DIAS; SILVA, 2012). The most recurring category in the interviews was criticism of continuing education. Teachers expressed feeling unprepared or abandoned in the face of the requirement to incorporate new technologies. The existing training is often generic and focused on technical handling (knowing how to press buttons) and not on digital pedagogy (knowing why and how to integrate it into the curriculum). For the successful implementation of the NEM, the teacher needs more than technical mastery; they need training that allows them to adapt digital content to the Formative Pathways and create in the classroom various methodologies that explore the potential for authorship and agency among students. The general perception is that, while the student is digitally proficient, the teacher still struggles to transform ICT into an effective teaching resource. The NEM (New High School Curriculum) is essentially correct in recognizing the centrality of Digital Culture in the formation of contemporary youth. However, the research confirms the hypothesis that the impact of ICT on teaching and learning is ambivalent: highly positive on the theoretical and conceptual level (engagement, flexibility), but severely limited on the practical level. The way in which new technologies impact the teaching and learning process is directly linked to two crucial factors: the availability of functional technological infrastructure and the quality of teachers' continuing education. There is no effective curricular innovation without overcoming these barriers. As a contribution and recommendation, there is an urgent need for more robust public policies that: (1) guarantee high-speed broadband and modern equipment in all high schools; and (2) promote a national plan for continuous, practical, and contextualized teacher training, focused on the curricular integration of ICT and the active methodologies that the NEM requires. Technology, to be liberating and transformative, must be used consciously and intentionally by the teacher, moving from an object of consumption to a tool for knowledge production.