O uso do micro: bit como ferramenta educacional para promoção do pensamento e do letramento computacional a partir da PBL

Abstract

The changing scenario in education has materialized with the accelerated advance in the use of technological resources in schools. Several methodologies with different approaches that help teaching and learning in the classroom have been increasingly studied, such as the use of Educational Robotics (ER) and the use of microcontrollers. Given the scenario described, the guiding question of this research is based on: How ER can generate improvements in the teaching-learning of students through PBL and the STEAM methodology? Therefore, this work presents results from the use of an educational technological tool through the BBC Micro: bit platform, aiming to provide students with a way to engage, motivate and promote thinking and computer literacy. Project-Based Learning (PBL) and the STEAM methodology (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) were used in this research. Based on the projects developed using Micro: bit, a short course was applied to students in the first year of the Technician course in Informatics – high school – at the School of Technical Education of the State of Pará “Dr. Celso Malcher”. During the short course, the preliminary version of the educational product resulting from this research was used, which consists of a book in digital format based on the foundations of the Brazilian Educational Curriculum, and containing the proposed activities and directing links (websites, QR code) to the complementary videos referring to each activity. This research is of a qualitative case study type. Data were obtained through the students' answers collected in questionnaires before and after the application of the short course, in addition to the records in the researcher teacher's logbook. The results obtained were analyzed descriptively in the light of the theoretical framework relevant to the topic. With that, from the analyzed results, it was observed that the Micro: bit can be used as an educational tool to teach the contents seen in the classroom, mainly when using the PBL and the STEAM methodology in an integrated way. Students were able to develop projects with the platform, constituting an educational tool that stimulates and motivates creativity, which can contribute to the insertion of thinking and computer literacy, as well as to streamline learning. Therefore, it is observed that research in ER, through the use of BBC Micro: bit, presents an important contribution to studies on digital educational tools aimed at teaching and learning students.