Abstract:

This article presents the main results of a study about the use that students of vocational courses related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) make of ICT in the classroom. The application of a questionnaire, in the classroom, to 314 students from 4 public and private schools, had as objective to verify what technological equipment is available in the classroom, the frequency of access and use of ICT, the activities carried out using technologies and the degree of the students' confidence in their use. The main results of the study show that the students' access to the computer in the classroom is almost daily, with differences of significant use between the subjects of the technical component, where its use is a common practice, and the subjects of the sociocultural and scientific components, where the use is limited. The students reveal practices of using ICT that are not very enriching and innovative in the process of teaching and learning, where the computer with internet access remains almost exclusively the technological equipment used in the classroom. Confidence in the execution of tasks with the use of technologies is greater in tasks that are less demanding and less complex and that students usually perform more frequently in the classroom. It is therefore imperative to make the use of ICT in the classroom a common but enriching practice that produces effective gains in student learning and makes them an effective response as ICT specialists for the job market.

Keywords:

Use, Information and Communication Technology, Students, Vocational Education.