O grupo “Ensino de Botânica” como comunidade educacional no Facebook: uma análise de recursos didáticos e interações entre professores

Abstract

Social networks establish themselves as spaces for interactions among people with different knowledge or entertainment interests. Moreover, they are important as educational tools. Among the most used by internet users, Facebook appears in third place. Many profiles disseminate content, actions, activities, and resources for teaching aid. In this sense, the objectives of this research were: - to understand the didactic resources disseminated in the "Botanical Teaching" group on Facebook; - to evaluate the interactivity of its members with the postings of these resources and recognize their pedagogical use. The analysis was carried out through a search conducted, by the group's search engine, from 2020 to 2024, of didactic resources: didactic sequences, physical and digital games, models, and books disseminated. Interactivity was verified based on likes, comments, and shares of the posts. Books were the most numerous resources and showed a large number of likes, followed by didactic games. The others, even in smaller numbers, also had good interaction. To investigate if any member applied one of the resources published in the group and interacted with the authors of the posts, a Google Forms electronic questionnaire was prepared and posted in the group. It was also sent to about 200 members via private message. Fifteen members of the group responded to the questionnaire stating that they mainly search for content such as Education and Environment on social networks. Five revealed that they used books, illustrations, images, and games found in the group. Although many interact in the group, few contact the authors. The low number of participants in the survey was a limiting factor in understanding the potential of the group as a consultation and interaction space, but the large number of members and high engagement indicate interest in the published content, demonstrating the potential of the "Botanical Teaching" group as an important dissemination network for teaching. The data obtained can assist administrators and members in using platform tools to expand content dissemination and promote more effective interactions.