The theme of this number is “The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in learning”, and is the result of a partnership with the International Conference X EUTIC 2014, held in October 2014 in FCSH, New University of Lisbon, to publish adapted versions of selected communications, following the characteristics of Sensos-e journal. The theme of EUTIC 2014 was: “The role of ICT in the design of informational and cognitive processes.” The selection of the papers followed two criteria: scientific quality, and the affordance of taking advantage of online digital potential, using features such as multimedia and hypertext elements, color, and dynamic interaction.
“ICT in learning” is a vast subject with multiple approaches, enabling theoretical analysis of the involved concepts and processes, as well as the presentation of case studies on ICT use in educational contexts. This issue presents a set of case studies in which ICT is used as epistemic mediators in the teaching-learning process in formal, non-formal and informal educational contexts. The case studies addressed issues such as educational software, use of the potential of online content and the use of mobile devices in an educational context. In addition, we have an article that focuses on the importance of sharing research results with the participants of an investigation.
In the article Tablets in the kindergarten, the authors present an investigation developed with 2-7 years children in a school environment in Pernambuco, Brazil, which aims to analyze the influences on learning of software developed for Tablets. The second article in this issue presents an investigation on Museums as spaces of creation, education and memory, that explores the virtual museum concept, by presenting a project carried out by students of a public school. They promoted the creation of a Virtual Museum of San Martin neighborhood in Recife, Brazil. The authors analyze the impact of this project on education for citizenship / the students / as. The authors of the article Possible interrelationships of communication networks – Blogs – and communities of practice in mathematics teacher training explore the didactic and pedagogical potential of blogging in a Virtual Community of Practice in the context of a teachers training course, in which the participants developed new meanings to the teaching practice through the use of a socially shared learning context. The educational role of librarians is approached in the paper The oral narratives encouragement through the use of mobile devices in a Brazilian school, which reports an experience in a Brazilian school that used printed books and Tablets in storytelling , aiming at analyzing the impact of using a mobile device (Tablet) in encouraging reading. The collaborative construction of knowledge through creative video editing is explored in the paper From reflection to complex concepts learning, through the edition and sharing of videos in public displays. It presents the results of an exploratory study that aimed to identify the potential of video editing and interaction with a public display as a way to promote reflection on complex concepts and collaborative knowledge construction. The last paper is entitled Babies, Families and Kindergartens: Report of a workshop for professionals and families. It is framed on the interface between Psychology and Education and presents the AUTHORS project that made a commitment to share research results with the participants, considering that this sharing is essential so that research is relevant, inspire reflection and produce changes in practices. A “workshop” on “Babies, Families and Kindergartens: A lively conversation” was developed, using the method “World Café” aiming to investigate the baby’s transition to day care in the first year of life, involving parents, kindergarten teachers, educational action assistants and other daycare professionals. By sharing the research results to participants, and involving both parents and professionals working with babies, it was intended to provide an opportunity to reflect on practices and professional development.
The diversity of the papers in this issue highlights the potential of ICT in educational contexts, namely in what concerns the improvement of the learning process. We wish good reads and that these reports raise new questions and researches.