The use of digital technology in the learning process and teaching practices in formal teaching is highly dependent on the ability of teachers of introducing it without jeopardizing the richness of the classroom environment, namely the attention that students need to follow the flow of argumentation and to guarantee the quality of the inquiring. Although several studies value the importance of technologies in our media-enriched world and the "learn anytime and anywhere" motto associated with mobile learning, we argue that the classroom dynamics are becoming more and more at risk with the addictive dimension brought about by the ubiquitous presence of digital devices and social media in students’ lives. In this article, we will make a critical review of the literature related to mobile learning because there is still a need of more extensive research on the interference of technology in the classroom, especially on how multitasking affects the teacher role in-class as a media orchestrator and learning facilitator. Finally, we will discuss the use of technology in the formal classroom environment, mainly to stimulate a much-needed discussion about the bright-not-so-bright impacts of technology in the teaching and learning process.

Rethinking the role of education in the 21st century implies acknowledging the power of learning and the urgency of making learning provision more meaningful, inclusive, and student-centred, which assumes particular importance when learner disengagement is still a global issue in elementary and secondary education. Rooted in social constructivism principles, peer learning is a learner-centred approach that facilitates the development of soft and technical skills, with evidence-based contributions to learners’ academic performance under the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions. This study aims to find evidence of the transformative role of peer learning projects in four Portuguese secondary schools and a higher education institution through teachers and peer teacher students’ (PTS) perceptions of these projects’ purpose, implementation, and impact on the educational community, particularly on PTS. Data were collected by means of a semi-structured in-depth interview and a survey by questionnaire, and content analysis and descriptive statistics were the techniques used. Results show cooperation and interpersonal skills’ improvement as major strengths of these projects, whereas the challenges are mostly organisational, e.g., reduced teacher service time and coordination of learners’ schedules. Conclusions highlight the potential of peer learning projects to promote pedagogical transformation and innovation in 21st century schools.

This paper, reporting on research at an early stage, aims to analyse the impact of badges when used in conjunction with an introductory tutorial that aims to help users getting to know its most important areas and functionalities. With that in mind, a test session was designed, asking learners new to SAPO Campus platform (an institutionally supported social Web platform), to complete a tutorial, discovering the existence of badges and how they could be earned and associated with their profile page, visible to the community. Learners were also asked about the impact of badges on their desire to complete the tutorial, and their general attitude towards being rewarded for completing several actions inside and outside the platform. Preliminary data reveals that learners considered that badges had a significant positive contribute to make them feel more engaged and motivated to complete the tutorial.

The emergence of online environments created a space where individuals can work on the construction and reconstruction of the self. Introducing a case study developed at the University of Aveiro – Portugal, this paper discusses the importance and challenges of building a representation the self in online contexts and addresses the main differences between building the self in physical and online environments. Data were collected through the application of questionnaires, direct observation and in-depth interviews, made to the participants of the study, 13 individuals, convenience sample. From the analysis of the collected data, a framework and a model have emerged: the Online Identity Analysis Model. By applying the model to the information shared by each participant in three online spaces (Facebook, Twitter and SAPO Campus, an institutionally supported platform), two main online identity profiles were outlined: the context-driven online identity profile and the user-driven online identity profile. By presenting the main results of a study focused on the construction of the self in online contexts, this paper should be understood as an approach and/or a starting point for a more wider and profound analysis of the online self and therefore contribute to the understanding of the importance of building a presence over the web, advantages and challenges included.

Technology enhanced learning (TEL) research connects Learning Sciences, Educational Psychology, and Computer Science, in order to investigate interventions based on digital technologies in education and training settings. In this paper, we argue that doctoral training activity for TEL needs to be situated at the intersection of disciplines in order to facilitate innovation. For this, we first review the state of disciplinarity in TEL, reviewing existing meta-studies of the field. Then, we survey 35 doctoral education programs in Europe in which doctoral students working on TEL topics are enrolled. Findings indicate that most doctoral schools are associated with a single discipline and offer methodological rather than content-specific modules. TEL-specific content is provided only in exceptional cases, creating a potentially isolating gap between master-level education and scientific conferences. On this background, we argue that cross-institutional doctoral training is important to progress TEL as a field. In this article, we study and share the approach of an international doctoral summer school organized by the European society EA-TEL over the past 15 years. The summer school provides foundational methodological knowledge from multiple disciplines, content-specific topical knowledge in TEL, access to cutting edge scientific discourse, and discussion of horizontal issues to doctoral students. We further provide an analysis of shifting program topics over time. Our analysis of both, institutional as well as cross-institutional doctoral training in TEL, constitutes this paper’s core contribution in that it highlights that further integration of perspectives and knowledge is to be done in TEL; together with codification and explication of knowledge in the intersection of disciplines.