Digital information and communication technologies as a didactic resource in the mathematics curriculum

Abstract

This article presents the results of the project entitled Mathematics Education and Digital Technologies, conducted in the research group of Curriculum Studies of Mathematics Education (GECEM), of the Graduate Program in Science and Mathematics Education (PPGECIM), from Universidade Luterana do Brasil (ULBRA), Canoas, State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It is understood that technologies have changed the way humans interact and think regarding the world around them, and mathematics education needs to adapt to this reality. The problem that motivated the GECEM group to conduct this research on digital technologies was: What are the didactic possibilities of digital technologies for mathematics education in basic and higher education? The paper analyzes the pedagogical potential of digital technologies (computers, tablets, smartphones, calculators) in mathematics education, both in basic and higher education (teacher training and courses that use mathematics as support in professional training). The methodology used during the research was exploratory with an analytical-descriptive approach. For instance, a robotic arm simulator was used as a learning object for the visualization of triangle areas and didactic sequence, for the statistics and environmental education topic. The results of using digital resources have been positive, and such resources have potential to be used by teachers in the classroom; therefore, they should be explored for didactic planning, both in basic education as well as to train teachers.