EDUCATION AND SOCIETY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGIES TO MAINTAIN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC

Abstract

This work aims to contribute to a pedagogical and social reflection on available technological resources, mainly those focused on the classroom, and the efficient use of the internet as an educational tool during a very challenging time for society as a whole, and especially for the school community, which was the Covid-19 health emergency. The digital world is part of our lives and offers extraordinary tools for the development of the educational process; however, there are still many limitations in schools, in pedagogical practices, and especially in people's minds, in the lack of preparedness for its use, and in the unequal access to technologies that deserve study and attention. This social shift, where public health was a priority, required everyone to alter their routines. With the impossibility of being physically present in school environments, education professionals and students expended enormous effort adapting to the use of online platforms, virtual classrooms, and all the challenges necessary to maintain minimal contact, so necessary, between students and teachers in this new learning model. Considering these propositions, a study was developed aiming to understand how education was affected by the changes resulting from the pandemic and, especially, to analyze how educators absorbed the opportunities and challenges of this period in their lives, specifically in relation to the use of technological information tools in their professional lives. Analyzing the problematic aspects or challenges experienced and cited by teachers at that time is also an opportunity to realize that many of them are still points of reference when the subject is the weaknesses in offering education for all, especially in terms of technology and quality.