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.

Digital media can provide an important contribution to the development of local communities by creating digital environments that facilitate the sharing of information, dissemination of knowledge and construction of organizational learning. Digital media can also promote interaction and collaboration processes among different regional agents, fostering a continuous flow of territorial based innovation. The study reported in this paper was carried out within the research activities of the (REMOVED) project, aiming to deepen the knowledge about the conditions that influence the dynamics of community-led territorial based innovation in the Centro Region of Portugal, focusing on the areas of Tourism, Health, and Wellness. As part of this project, a mobile application is being designed, aiming to strengthen the relationship among agents of local communities/entities and to promote mediation mechanisms among all stakeholders in the process of territorial based innovation. This paper presents the main concepts underlying the development of the REMOVED digital platform and the outcomes from a usability evaluation of the platform mobile app prototype. The first section discusses the most relevant topics that this paper covers. In the second section, an overview of the state of the art in the field of digital media used to promote territory-based innovation is presented. The third section describes the concept of the REMOVED digital platform and the main features of the prototype/mobile app. The fourth section addresses the methodology adopted for the evaluation of the prototype and the fifth exhibits the main outcomes of this process. Finally, the sixth and final section present the main conclusions about the potential of the REMOVED platform, and current and future research activities.

The widespread dissemination of contradictory information through various media platforms can increase anxiety and confusion among younger generations. This highlights the need to promote Media Literacy (ML) skills, enabling them to evaluate online information's validity critically. Video game-based learning can be valuable in this context, fostering active learning and critical thinking. Therefore, developing and sharing innovative resources like interactive content and video games is crucial to enhancing young people's ML skills and resilience to disinformation. The YO-MEDIA project, involving three universities in Italy, Portugal, and Spain and a journalist association, aims to develop ML in young people during times of crisis (e.g., pandemics and wars) through game-based learning strategies and professional training. The project carried out 29 semi-structured interviews in the partner countries with various stakeholders to understand perspectives on media design practices and ML formulation for young people in crises. These interviews aimed to collect education and media professionals' insights on promoting ML and critical thinking among youth during crises. It also seeks to gather best practices and understand these professionals' challenges when fostering ML among youth. This study's findings suggest that the interviewees deem ML vital for distinguishing accurate information from misinformation during crises, especially relevant for young individuals. Essential skills for these young people include critical thinking, filtering information, and recognizing online threats. Effective strategies involve operating within digital environments frequented by young people, encouraging critical thinking, and nurturing collaboration. Professionals face challenges such as a lack of training, engaging young people's attention, and keeping pace with digital environments. The interviewees also emphasized the importance of ML training for informal educators and media professionals. They recommended Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for their flexibility and accessibility. According to the interviewees, an ML game should involve research, interpretation, and decision-making processes and be accessible to young people with disabilities. They identified several ML projects and resources, including multimedia labs, youth parliaments, and critical thinking tools. This study contributes to developing games that promote critical thinking and ML in young people. It also aids in establishing ongoing professional training in ML for informal educators, teachers, media professionals, and other stakeholders.