Scientific and technological education in Brazil: Advancements and challenges for the 21st century

Abstract

There is a complexity of challenges related to scientific and technological education in Brazil, including literacy in basic concepts and principles by students; better pre- and in-service teacher training; sufficient supply of computers, internet and other technological resources to all Brazilian public schools; provision of teacher training on how to effectively use such tools; and promotion of public awareness of science and technology and their vital role socioeconomic development and sovereignty. Recognizing the importance of fostering usage of technologies in education and the urgency of promoting and encouraging synergic efforts in the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies/programs/projects for science and technology in pre-college education, it was created in 2008, the Coordination of Educational Technologies, in the structure of the Brazilian Ministry of Education. This paper aims to: a) provide a general panorama of Brazilian education; b) discuss some current Brazilian efforts targeted to the advancement of scientific and technological education in pre-college education. As an illustration, we present the so-called "Guide of Educational Technologies," a publication that allows educational managers to select resources that contribute to the enhancement of education in their school systems. This publication offers a wide range of educational technologies, such as in-service courses for teachers, web resources, software and programs targeted to several educational areas and demands. © 2009 IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.