The Portuguese Maritime Voyages of Discovery: the exploration of the history of a city with an App as an educational resource

Authors

  • Cláudia Faria Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Elsa Guilherme Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Joaquim Pintassilgo Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Maria João Mogarro Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Ana Sofia Pinho Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Mónica Baptista Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Isabel Chagas Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa
  • Cecília Galvão Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1344/der.2019.36.85-99

Keywords:

Digital educational resources, Mobile learning, Mobile applications, Primary education.

Abstract

In this paper we present an evaluation of an App for mobile devices, ‘Roteiro dos Descobrimentos’, as an educational digital resource for primary school students. The study involved the participation of 131 students and eight teachers. Data were collected from participant observation, students’ questionnaires and interviews to students and teachers. According to students, they learned new things, related with the topics explored, in an easy and funny way. Students also emphasized as positive aspects the fact that they had to face different challenges and the need to mobilize their knowledge to solve them. Teachers referred that students showed great interest and enthusiasm during the activities. As main gains, teachers stressed that the application fosters the relationship of students with the city, facilitates collaboration, and promotes students’ autonomy. In resume, it seems that the playful and interactive dimension of the App promoted the development of important skills such as the ability to interact with the environment, collaborative work, autonomy, and reading and interpretation skills. As a conclusion, there is a great receptivity to integrate mobile technologies in the teaching and learning process, but the role of the teacher can’t be dismissed, as a mediator and educator.

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Published

2019-12-31

Issue

Number 36, December 2019

Section

Peer Review Articles

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