Article Preview
TopIntroduction
“Technologies are in society and bring new challenges, needs and possibilities” (Bruno, Schuchter & Junior, 2019, p. 62), offering “additional tools for the search of information and knowledge” (Morgado, 2015, p. 167). The European Commission (2012) note that “digital technologies have an impact on education, training and learning through the development of more flexible learning environments adapted to the needs of a highly mobile society”.
According to OECD, “students learn better science if they see the point of what they learn. Relating the scientific concepts learnt in class to the everyday life of children or, more generally, showing the relevance of what is taught to everyday life problems makes science more attractive and its teaching and learning more effective” (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019, p. 93); “conducting experiments and investigations gives students an entry point into the work life of scientists, and a better understanding of its empirical dimension” (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019, p.58); “computers and digital devices are well suited to support the acquisition of procedural knowledge through repetition and drilling” (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019, p. 42) and also develops computer skills” (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019, p. 52). However, “computers and other digital screens are often seen as the rivals, if not the enemies of books. Looking up information and ideas on computers in class helps break these two misconceptions, and helps students learn to find information, as well as other ideas and perspectives about the subject” (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019).
The OECD point out that “good teachers will find the right dosage with other, more active learning practices” (Vincent-Lancrin, 2019, p. 38), because in order to translate it into effective improvement of learning, the teacher must ensure that the use of technology is appropriate and values the learning in question and that it be framed in the current pedagogical practices of the teacher and the preconceptions of the students; the activity should be structured so that the students have to take some responsibility and have the opportunity to develop active participation; it is essential to promote in students reflection on the underlying concepts and relationships, creating moments of discussion, analysis and reflection; the focus should be on the research activity by developing skills in data collection and analysis; it should clarify the relationship between the use of technologies and the process of teaching and learning; the sharing of findings and ideas within the class group should be encouraged (Osborne & Dillon, 2008).
The IoT introduced “a novel paradigm that is rapidly gaining ground in the modern wireless telecommunications scenario” (Atzori, Iera & Morabito, 2010) which allows, through sensors, to connect objects to the Internet so that information about the environment or activity can be obtained which will provide feedback and control (O’Brien, 2016).
In the NMC Horizont Report 2012 (Johnson, Adams & Cummins, 2012) the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) is mentioned for the first time as a future long-term trend in adoption by schools, in which its relevance in terms of teaching-learning is related to the possibility of monitoring and recording object data. In this scenario, students will have the ability to monitor their own surrounding environment, collect data in real time for study (Johnson, Adams & Cummins, 2012), and provide data-sharing in an open way to investigate and address real-world challenges, with the objective of promoting diversity in the learning process.