Recent studies indicate tablets as the preferred devices of preschool children, due to portability, autonomy of use and variety of apps. There is also extensive evidence of the contributions of digital technologies in different areas of learning at these ages. The Aprender XXI project aimed to develop game-based learning apps, with content recommended in the Curriculum Guidelines for Pre-School Education (CGPE). The project used Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, which combines scientific research and technological development. It was divided into three phases: preliminary study (literature review, search for existing apps, study of preschool curriculum), development (specifications, scriptwriting, design and programing) and evaluation (tests with users and conclusions). The preliminary study identified the needs to define robust apps. The evaluation with children and educator validated the development and defined improvements in the apps. As a result, we obtained four thematic apps—environment, health, citizenship and professions, composed of a set of games, suitable for autonomous use for children or for educational activities guided by educators in kindergarten. In addition, a website collects children’s play data, which is represented with flowers in a virtual world, to illustrate their participation/collaboration for a better future.

With a coastline of approximately 2500 km², Portugal has one of the largest European Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with its delimitation beyond 200 nautical miles under review. The sea, including the sustainable exploitation of natural resources and maritime activities, is cross-cutting the National 2030 Strategy for Smart Specialization (NSSS2030), and is the foundation of the National Ocean Strategy 2021-2030 (NOS2030). Therefore, Portugal has great interest, but also challenges, in the knowledge of ocean processes, monitoring of their environmental status, maritime spatial planning, and their role in sustainable development and economic growth. In this study, a participatory workshop with stakeholders from diverse ocean sectors and across the value chain was carried out to co-identify the main needs and challenges of the ocean sector in Portugal and analyze the alignment of these identified needs and challenges with the NSSS2030, the NOS2023, the EU-Roadmap for the Blue Bioeconomy and the European Green Deal. Through a two-stage workshop, the interested parties provided 101 topics for information needs and challenges for the present and near future (5-year period) to identify priority areas for Portugal's ocean sector. Data analysis involved categorizing workshop content into ocean-related themes and PESTEL categories (Policy, Economy, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal), a framework used to analyze the external macro-environmental factors that can impact an organization or industry. The analysis identified missing data, information needs, and public policy challenges as the stakeholder's most relevant issues. Other needs are related to specialized training and capacity building, funding mechanisms, and open industry-academia relationships. The insights provided from this participatory process revealed common ground with European ocean sector challenges and needs. The national perception of knowledge gaps and emerging challenges should be addressed for effective implementation of the NOS2030 and the NSSS2030 and, ultimately, contribute to the next strategic framework design for ocean economy boosting at the EU, national, and regional levels.

Parental involvement in preschool education is widely recognized as an important factor in skills development, school outcomes and lifelong success, and can be promoted through digital technologies, which offer new forms of communication and collaboration between parents and educators, and new learning opportunities for children. This research aimed to develop and test a digital platform with communication and content sharing functionalities between parents and educators, and to assess the impact of using the platform in three participating institutions. The research question guiding the efforts was: what features and contents should a multimedia platform have to promote parental involvement in the learning of children who attend kindergarten? The research was developed according to a design-based research methodology, and the parents and educators were involved in all phases of the process: preliminary study, development and evaluation. The results showed that the sharing of activities carried out with children in kindergarten and a private messaging service were the most valued functionalities. Regarding local impact, different results were obtained in each kindergarten, related to the roles assumed by the users within the platform, and previous practices of using technologies for parental involvement.

Forests are one of the most predominant types of land usage in Portugal and are highly relevant in terms of environmental, economic, social, and political factors. Increasing the value and the resilience of the Portuguese forest, defining adequate policies, and aligning forest research with society needs requires a truthful comprehension of the most relevant challenges in this sector. This study identifies and analyzes the most relevant needs and challenges impacting the Portuguese forestry sector, both currently and over a five-year period, from the stakeholder’s perspective. A participatory approach was employed, engaging national and regional forest stakeholders, to ensure a realistic vision of the forest sector in Portugal. A total of 116 topics were identified, with a predominance of immediate challenges over future information needs, underscoring the urgent pressures on the sector. Environmental/ecological and policy issues dominated the identified needs and challenges, reflecting the urgency for strategic interventions in these areas. A significant emphasis was placed on the mitigation of climate change impacts, mainly associated with biotic and abiotic risks, promoting technological advanced forest management, and the sector valorization. Policy and legal issues, such as fragmented ownership and adequate economic and fiscal incentives, were also identified as major concerns. The findings highlight the interconnected nature of forestry challenges and the need for integrated, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches, prioritizing research on climate impacts, developing adaptive management strategies, promoting stakeholder engagement, and enhancing capacity-building initiatives. The results of this study make it a relevant case study for other forest stakeholders in similar regions in Europe with comparative forest management models and can inspire new solutions for common challenges opening new research avenues for other forest related academics.

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Information about the paper titled "DEVELOPMENT OF A MULTIMEDIA PLATFORM FOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN LEARNING OF CHILDREN ATTENDING KINDERGARTEN – PRELIMINARY STUDIES" at IATED Digital Library