EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS: POTENTIALITIES, LIMITS, AND IMPACTS ON SCHOOL EDUCATION

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the advantages, benefits, and risks of using the digital environment in education, seeking to understand its influence and potential to transform teaching and learning processes. To this end, a bibliographic research was conducted, gathering and organizing theoretical knowledge on the subject, based on authors who address interactivity, student protagonism, digital inclusion, and the challenges associated with educational technology. The analysis focused on three main aspects: first, the advantages of the digital environment, such as increased active student participation, personalized teaching, and the promotion of innovative pedagogical practices; then, the benefits related to expanded access to education, social inclusion, and the possibility of diversifying teaching resources; finally, the risks and challenges arising from inappropriate or excessive use of technologies, such as digital dependence, cognitive overload, mental health issues, and inequalities in access to technological resources. The results indicate that despite the risks, the conscious and planned use of the digital environment can promote a more dynamic, inclusive, and meaningful education, fostering the development of essential competencies for the 21st century. It is concluded that educators, institutions, and public policies must act in an integrated way to ensure that the benefits of digital technologies are maximized and their negative impacts minimized, thus ensuring a comprehensive and balanced education for students.