Caiu na rede é peixe? Práticas de letramento crítico em meios digitais para estudantes de 9º ano do ensino fundamental

Abstract

Historically, teaching has been marked by numerous challenges, recognizing education as a broad, continuous, and dynamic process. Since March 2020, with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, educational processes have had to adapt to a new reality. Among the main challenges faced by educators is the creation of didactic materials that meet the diverse demands of students, both in-person and virtually. Over time, we have realized that we constantly receive an overwhelming flow of information. But how do we filter it and determine if what is available can generate knowledge? How do we foster critical thinking in our students? How do they position themselves in relation to social networks? More importantly, how have these networks motivated their engagement? Access to facts, photos, and diverse content from various and not always reliable sources is facilitated for this new generation of students, who seek greater participation in this information network. Are we truly protagonists in what we consume digitally, or have we just become human receptacles? In response to these questions, the project "Caiu na rede é peixe?" was developed to address a gap in education: the excess of information that does not always inform and the time we spend on these networks. The project was designed based on the documentary "The Social Dilemma," released by Netflix on September 9, 2020, which features former employees of companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter discussing the dangers of social networks. The documentary addresses sensitive topics and questions the inner workings of these networks and their impacts on democracy and humanity. The primary objective of this project is to promote the autonomy and critical thinking of 9th-grade elementary students concerning the digital literacies they practice inside and outside the classroom, especially via smartphones. Students will start from the film "The Social Dilemma" to critically reflect on their own uses of digital networks. Through motivating questions about the film, they should express their positions on four themes through three digital genres: podcast, thematic video, and infographic. The productions will be grouped on Padlet in a digital mural, which will be the main product of the work. The project is linked to the area of Languages, especially the contents of Portuguese and English, but it can be expanded to other areas of knowledge due to its foundation in critical literacies. We hope that through this didactic proposal, teachers can develop a classroom practice that is consistent, creative, and useful, especially regarding connected digital technologies and their transformative potential.