CONNECTED BUT UNLETTERED:

FUNCTIONAL DIGITAL ILLITERACY AND THE CHALLENGES OF REMOTE TEACHING IN BRAZIL

Abstract

The article analyzes the impact of digital functional illiteracy on learning during the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil (2020–2021), conceptually differentiating it from the digital divide. Through a narrative literature review (2020–2024), evidence from institutional reports (CGI.br/CETIC.br, UNICEF, OECD/Pisa) and peer-reviewed articles on emergency remote teaching, digital literacy and teaching practices are articulated. The results indicate that barriers to access-instable connectivity, lack of devices, and inequalities by income and territory-have made it possible for millions of students to participate. Digital illiteracy is the absence of technical and critical knowledge about digital information. Among the connected, limitations of digital proficiency and information literacy (difficulty in differentiating facts from opinions, curating and verifying information) reduced the effectiveness of the autonomous study and online activities. At the teaching level, gaps in instructional design, mediation and evaluation in the digital context compromised learning, especially when there was a mere transposition from face-to-face to remote. That access is a necessary condition, but digital proficiency and pedagogical design are indispensable conditions for meaningful learning. It is recommended to integrate connectivity policies and devices with continuing teacher training and development of critical digital skills in curricula, in addition to monitoring medium-term effects on performance and equity.