Digital educational resources for primary education: the case of Manual Digital II

Abstract

Introducing digital educational resources in primary education in Portugal has been a slow and gradual process. This article presents the Manual Digital II1 (MDII) project, an innovative experience based on constructivism learning theories. As a pioneering project in Portugal, related to the creation of connections between Companies and Universities within the field of Education, it aims at producing digital pedagogic contents based on innovative design, production and application processes, for educators, teachers, parents and children. Several multimedia applications with interactive contents were developed as a result of this Consortium, in accordance with the curricular guidelines from the Ministry of Education for the subjects Portuguese Language, Mathematics, Environmental Studies, English and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Citizenship, offering children creative learning environments adjusted to their own learning pace. As a follow-up to the development of the different products, several studies were conducted in order to rethink the impact of these multimedia applications upon formal and informal learning contexts. The results obtained suggest different impacts upon the learning experiences, depending on the way digital contents are operated.