An apparent innovation

Abstract

The present article discusses the use of the internet in activities related to text production in schools, focusing an activity developed by 8th grade students of the so-called ‘fundamental school’ in Brazil. In this particular case, the students were asked to produce argumentative texts according to instructions available in the Educational Site of a private teaching institu­tion, which maintains covenantal schools in many cities in Brazil. The texts were produced in computers and sent to an evaluator in the institution’s head-office. Initially, the present article discusses the guidelines offered on-line for students and teachers. Then, it analyzes a set of 120 texts pro­duced in two schools, one in São Paulo–SP and the other in Fortaleza–CE. The guidelines contained in that Educational Site show the persistence of a traditional approach to the production of school articles. The texts produced on-line by the students of both chosen schools confirm this tra­ditional approach. The studied case reveals an unsteadiness between the technological innovation detected in the school and its use in Portuguese language classes. The computer and the internet give a seeming modernity to traditional activities. Finally, alternatives to innovate text production and to obtain more interesting results with the use of digital technologies are pointed out.

Keywords: Argumentative texts; On line text production