Activities

The EduPARK project participated in the Open Week of Science and Technology 2016 with the activity “Discovering the Infante D. Pedro Park’s treasures”. The project team developed three sessions with city schools’ classes: one from the 3rd Cycle and two from the 1st Cycle of the Portuguese Basic Education System. Pupils explored Aveiro’s oldest park with the support of an interactive mobile application with Augmented Reality, created within the project. The activity aimed at collecting pupils’ feedback about the application and it was considered a success. It was held in a game format, with interdisciplinary and culture questions. The teams revealed motivation and united efforts to achieve the highest score possible, through the correct answering to the questions and, at the same time, discovering hidden treasures in the park. At the end, the project team handed out participation certificates and prizes that were sponsored by projectSeguraNet.

As examples of some in situ reactions, we highlight the following: “I think this application is really good because it teaches us how to learn in a different way”; “I think this activity was really enriching because it gave us values and also helped us to want to learn” (3rd Cycle pupils); “I liked it because we can learn more about the plants and everything in the Nature”; “It is mandatory to participate [in this activity] because it is really, really amusing” (1st Cycle pupils). The EduPARK team thanks the participation of the 74 pupils, and their teachers, as well as the monitors (researchers of the project and collaborating Masters’ Degree students), who volunteered to accompany the groups of pupils through the park. The smiles on their faces showed it was worth it. This is an experience that must be repeated!

The EduPARK project participated in the UA Open Campus 2017 with the activity ‘Come and experiment with the Augmented Reality (AR) mobile application of the EduPARK Project’. On May 10th, two sessions with 23 students from secondary schools from Ermesinde, Felgueiras and Manteigas were held. The participants formed groups to test the latest version of the application of the EduPARK, already containing content for AR, as if they were in the park. This version of the application was developed by the EduPARK project team and two students of the Masters in Teaching of the 1^st CEB and of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of the 2^nd CEB. Students collaborating are Márcia Carvalho and Ana Rita Rodrigues, who are supervised by Teresa Neto and Lúcia Pombo.

Participating students revealed enthusiasm and involvement in the game/application. At the end of the sessions, they provided feedback on the relevance and usability of the application, as the following comments illustrate: ‘It's an interesting application and I think it promotes learning in a different way among the younger students.’; ‘It's an interesting and very useful application for elementary school usage.’; ‘The application is very good for a different interaction with the park, but it has some problems regarding speed and response to the touch.’ The EduPARK team thanks the participation and collaboration of the students, and of their teachers, and will take into account their comments to introduce improvements in the application.

On May 16^th, a group of 4^th year pupils from the Basic School of Bonsucesso, accompanied by the teacher of their class, Isabel Lebre, participated in the activity ‘Conquering all stages in the Infante D. Pedro Park - EduPARK Project’. The activity consisted of an interactive quiz game, with Augmented Reality, supported by the mobile application of the EduPARK Project.

The game script was developed by Ana Rita Rodrigues and Márcia Carvalho, Master’s students from Teaching of the 1^st CEB and of MCN of the 2^nd

During the activity, the pupils showed enthusiasm, curiosity and motivation for learning. Some pupils have even highlighted some similarities of the EduPARK application with the popular entertainment application for mobile devices, Pokémon GO, which also includes augmented reality technology. In an initial overall assessment, the class teacher reported that this activity created learning opportunities related with the curriculum for this level of education. The teacher stated, as well, that this activity was able to motivate and engage students who often reveal demotivation for learning in the classroom.

After being invited by the ‘Centre for Training of the Association of Schools of the Planalto Beirão’ and of the Mortágua Municipality, Lúcia Pombo developed an innovative outdoor workshop, under the EduPARK’s context. This workshop, which counted with 18 science teachers from several schools, took place in the Secondary School of Mortágua, on May 20^th.

Participants experimented with a demo version of the EduPARK application in an outdoor setting, worked in pairs to produce educational resources to be integrated into a mobile application for outdoor activities, and shared the developed work with their colleagues. Teachers showed a high degree of satisfaction for having attended this workshop and considered the explored resources as very interesting.

The EduPARK book was publicly presented at the Book Fair in Aveiro, ehich took place between XX and XX. Lúcia Pombo, Margarida Morais Marques, Maria José Loureiro, Rosa Pinho, Lísia Lopes and Paula Maia are the authors and Vânia Carlos was responsible for the map of the park that is included in the book. It is an edition of the UA-Editora, financed by FEDER / FCT.

The launch was part of the Aveiro Municipality (CMA) Book Fair and Environment Week Program. It was attended by the president of the CMA, Ribau Esteves, who wrote one of the prefaces for the book; the coordinator of the CIDTFF, Helena Araújo e Sá, and the directors of the involved departments: Jorge Adelino Costa, from the DEP, and Amadeu Soares, from the DBio. The book was presented by two of the authors, Lúcia Pombo, coordinator of the project EduPARK, and Rosa Pinho, curator of the UA Herbarium.

The event had a large audience, from CIDTFF researchers, departmental colleagues, undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, family and friends. The authors thank the interest and enthusiasm shown.

On June 10^th and 11^th, visitors of the Infante D. Pedro Park had the opportunity to participate in the activity ‘Exploring the Infante D. Pedro Park with the mobile application of the EduPARK Project’, under the Environment Week, organised by the ‘Aveiro Now’ Association, the Aveiro Municipality (CMA) and the ‘Factory Centre of Alive Science of Aveiro’. This event was published in the journal ‘Diary of Aveiro’.

The activity consisted of an interactive quiz game, with Augmented Reality, supported by the mobile application of the EduPARK Project, and was specifically aimed at the visitor of the Park. Participants of all ages, used the application and, globally, revealed interest and surprise with its features, in particular with the augmented reality. Some reactions were: ‘A very good idea. We can learn more about the Park and about Aveiro through play.’ and ‘What a good way of exploring and learning in our Park, enjoying its beauty and clean air.’

EduPARK was present at the Teachers' Meeting on ICT Educational Use, TIC@Portugal, in Nelas, on July 7^th, with the oral presentation ‘Good Practices of Gamification with Mobile Learning and Augmented Reality - Edupark Project’.

This event is an initiative of the Association EDUCOM - APTE (Portuguese Association of Educational Telematics), through its ICT Competence Centre and its Teacher Training Centre. This year, the ccTICua organized the event in Nelas, with the support of the School Grouping of Nelas and Nelas Municipality. On the previous day, July 6th, participants had the opportunity to take part in the launch event of the European project ‘ENAbLE - Educational Advancement of ICT-based Spatial Literacy in Europe’.

On July 10^th, the EduPARK project consultant, Professor Martin Llamas Nistal from the University of Vigo, visited the CIDTFF and the Departments involved in the project: DEP, DETI and DBio.

The visit started at the Department of Education and Psychology (DEP), where he visited the Director’s office, the Laboratory of Digital Contents (LCD), the Laboratory for Mathematics Education (Lem@tic) - and the Research Centre on Didactics and Technology in the Education of Trainers (CIDTFF) -. Then, he visited the IEETA, where he had the opportunity to try out some virtual reality devices and to have a guided tour to the Herbarium. Thank you to all involved in this visit!

The EduPARK team and the CCTic-UA organized a short-term training session (3 hours) for teachers, on July 10th. The session was included in the visiting program of the project external consultant, Professor Martin Llamas Nistal, and comprised two main parts.

First, two presentations took place: one entitled ‘A flipped classroom experience at the University of Vigo’, by Martin Llamas Nistal, and another, ‘One year of development experience of the EduPARK app’, by Lúcia Pombo.

Then a visit to the Infante D. Pedro Park took place, during which 32 participating teachers had the opportunity to explore, in groups, the EduPARK app developed for the 2^nd CEB. This was followed by an animated picnic. In the end, an EduPARK book was offered to each element of the winning group. The participating teachers expressed their interest in scheduling a visit with their students to explore the EduPARK game, during the next school year. They also recognized an enormous educational value in this approach, where the curriculum is articulated in an interdisciplinary way, providing in-context learning. Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm!

The EduPARK team has prepared an activity for the children of the 2^nd CEB of the DEP’s Summer Academy. The EduPARK Monkey waited for the young explorers at the Infante D. Pedro Park to guide them on a treasure hunt where they could learn while playing. Accompanied by a scientific monitor, each group members explored the EduPARK application, using one of the project cell phones. The groups were challenged to solve interdisciplinary quizzes following clues given by the Monkey. At the end of each stage, a virtual cache challenge appeared and the groups were able to collect virtual objects like bananas, acorns and lollipops, while collecting points at the same time. There were prizes for the three winner groups and prizes for all participants. The project consultant, Professor Martin Llamas Nistal, had the opportunity to observe the activity.

Scientific Monitors - Lúcia Pombo, Luís Afonso, Margarida Marques, Mariana Souza, Vânia Carlos, Cecília Guerra, Sara Nogueira, Ana Gonçalves, Rita Valente, Filipe Moreira and Samanta Caleiro. Thank you all for participating!

In the first of the 3 cycles of the "Tablets in Education: Promotion of Digital Skills in Mobile Learning" training, the EduPARK Coordinator, Lúcia Pombo, collaborated as a Trainer in the 1st session, attended by 20 teachers of Basic Education of the School Grouping of Eixo.

In this first session, after the presentation of the EduPARK project, the trainee teachers explored the EduPARK mobile application and created educational resources that could be integrated into outdoor activities.

This training intends to focus on the support to teachers regarding the use of mobile technologies and their potential in the teaching and learning process (why?, for what ?, and how to use the technologies?). It is intended to create opportunities for concrete and supported use, in order to effectively contribute to the change of attitude of teachers towards innovations and reinforce their self-esteem and confidence in the use of ICT in teaching and learning.

The Municipality of Aveiro, as a partner of the EduPARK Project, collaborated in the installation of the 32 identification plates in the Infante D. Pedro Park. Now it is possible to identify the species of trees that inhabit the Park. The boards also allow access to augmented reality for each species through the EduPARK application: i) in free mode (also available in English) and ii) through specific games for each level of education, in a school context, and also for the general public.

Soon the inauguration of the plates and application of EduPARK will be done, with an activity for all to participate.

In the logic of promoting methodologies that integrate research in the teaching and learning process, EduPARK embraced ISN II, with a mobile outdoor component in the context of the theme "Biodiversity and preservation" with a 20% weight in the students assessment.

After a theoretical presentation of the EduPARK Project, the two groups of ISN II developed the activity in the Infante D. Pedro Park, where they explored an educational guide with a specific course, which integrates issues articulated with the programmatic contents of ISN I and ISN II, through the EduPARK project app. Students have learned on the spot, and authentic learning has been fostered, based on the principles of geocaching and exploring the Augmented Reality features on tiles and plaques scattered throughout the park.

The evaluation includes not only the production of questions that can be used in a mobile application for Teaching and its oral presentation, in groups, but also a reflection on this teaching methodology with respect to its educational value, motivation and conservation habits and sustainability.

The ENAbLE and EduPARK Projects prepared a field trip through the city of Aveiro within the scope of the Curricular Unit "Didactics of History, Geography and Natural Sciences" of the Master's Degree in Teaching of 1st Cycle of Basic Education and Portuguese and History and Geography of Portugal in the 2nd of Cycle of Basic Education of the Department of Education and Psychology of the University of Aveiro.

The field trip using Geographic Information Technologies and mobile learning took place on December 5th, and it was the result of a joint initiative of Ana V. Rodrigues (teacher of the Curricular Unit), Vânia Carlos and Lúcia Pombo, researchers of the ENAbLE and EduPARK projects . The course included points of interest in the natural sciences, history and geography of the city of Aveiro, through the digital games OriGami and the EduPARK App. This experience, of articulation between research and initial training, aimed to provide students/future teachers with the experience of active teaching and learning methodologies in the open air that they can use in the future with their students.

Aveiro citizens, tourists who are increasingly visiting the city, and students of all ages can better understand the species of plants in the Infante D. Pedro Park, thanks to an augmented reality application, developed by a group of researchers from the University of Aveiro, under the EduPARK project.

To mark the date of the availability of the App, on Wednesday, December 6, at 2:45 pm, in the Auditorium Master Hélder Castanheira (room attached to the bookstore of the UA), a session was held to present the project, and at 4:00 p.m., in the Infante D. Pedro Park, the symbolic inauguration of the App was made, exposing the information poster about the use of the application that is installed in one of the main entrances of the Park (next to the steps of the artificial grotto overlooking Artur Ravara Avenue ). Then, in an initiative open to public participation, the EduPARK App was explored, which can be done in free mode, using Augmented Reality content available on the 32 identification plates spread throughout the Park, and in game mode, with access to scripts for the various levels of education and for the public, with questions of general culture and about the region of Aveiro. 

The inauguration session of the EduPARK application was attended by the Pro-Rector Filipe Teles, representing the Rector of the University of Aveiro; of the Mayor of Aveiro, Ribau Esteves; the Coordinator of the Center for Research in Didactics and Technology in the Training of Trainers (CIDTFF), Helena Araújo e Sá; the Coordinator of the Institute of Electronic and Telematic Engineering of Aveiro (IEETA), Armando J. Pinho; the Director of the Department of Education and Psychology, Jorge Adelino Costa and the Project Coordinator, Lúcia Pombo and the rest of the EduPARK team.

On January 17^th, the 2^nd edition of the 30h Teachers Training "Tablets in education: promotion of digital skills in the field of mobile learning" was held, with joint organization of the Training Center of Aveiro and CCTIC-UA, where the Coordinator of the EduPARK, Lúcia Pombo, collaborated as a Trainer in the 2^nd session, in which 14 Basic Education teachers, from various School Groups in the region of Aveiro, participated.

In this session, after the presentation of the EduPARK project, the trainee teachers explored the EduPARK mobile application and created, in pairs, educational resources that could be integrated into outdoor activities, followed by the presentation of these resources to their colleagues.

The teachers explored the EduPARK App with enthusiasm and showed interest in accompanying, in the near future, their students in the EduPARK Activity, in the Infante D. Pedro Park.

From the trainees feedback about this session, the following comments stand out: 

"I'm enjoying this and I'm looking forward to get to know more apps." 

"This training action should be longer." 

"We could have a training action in the field, if possible." 

"Good communication from the trainer to the trainees. I would suggest to have more time to explore the applications and how they work; Greater interaction among trainees. "

The EduPARK project involved 16 participants from the Campanhã Vocational School in the activity "EduPARK App: Augmented reality game". The outdoor activity took place in the Science Garden, simulating the game in the park.

Participants experienced the EduPARK app and explored the guide for Secondary/Higher Education. Participating students revealed enthusiasm and involvement in the game. In the end, they gave feedback regarding the relevance and usability of the application: "I liked the activity; it is motivating to learn more about the environment "; "I liked the game. I found it enjoyable and fun and I learnt new things "; "I found this way of using the mobile device very interesting." The EduPARK team thanks students and teacher participation; as well as the collaboration  of scientific monitors: the PIC-LEB and PPS students, who are developing work under the project.

The collaboration between EduPARK and the Youth Municipal House (Aveiro City Council), under the 2018 Easter Club, allowed, on this Tuesday (the 27th), 35 children and youngsters (from 6 to 14 years-old) to explore the Infante D. Pedro Park with the EduPARK App for a healthy occupation of free time during school holidays.

In group, the young explorers used mobile devices with the Augmented Reality application, developed by the EduPARK project, in a real treasure hunt in the city's oldest Park. To accomplish that, students used the games for the 1^st and 2^nd/3^rd cycles of Basic Education, always accompanied by the Easter Club and the project's monitors. At the end, there were medals for the groups that reached the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places. 

Youngsters and children expressed their opinion about the activity: "I loved learning with the application. I loved to hunt treasures"; "I really liked the part where we acquired knowledge and were searching [for caches]"; "It was very interesting because we were walking through the park and exploring."; "I liked the Augmented Reality contents"; "I reminded things I had learned at school, on mathematics and rocks."; "Using the mobile phone, learning is much better and cooler; no paper is wasted. " 

The EduPARK team thanks the participation of the young explorers and monitors of the Easter Club. Fundamental was also the collaboration of the Supervised Pedagogical Practical students, who carry out work within the scope of the project, and accompanied groups of participants. 

At the invitation of the Aveiro City Council and of the Eco-School Coordinator of the João Afonso de Aveiro School, this week, the EduPARK project organised three sessions in which the EduPARK app was explored in the Infante D. Pedro Park, involving 62 students from two local schools. This initiative is part of the "Route through the Forest" activity of the Associação Bandeira Azul da Europa (ABAE).

On April 16, 25 students from the 8^th school-year from the Dr. Mário Sacramento Secondary School had the opportunity to look differently at the species that inhabit the Park and to learn in a fun way with the EduPARK game. On April 19, two classes (37 students) of the 5^th school-year from the João Afonso de Aveiro Elementary School received clues and tips from the EduPARK Monkey to be able to meet the challenges, whilst exploring the Park's biodiversity. The students revealed interest and enthusiasm with this activity, which took place in an inter-group competition format, winning the groups that managed to get the higher score in the game, by answering correctly to the questions and challenges. 

The "Route for the Forest" aims to be an action that promotes synergies between the schools and their respective municipalities (city councils and parishes) with the main aim of acting for the protection of the ecosystems in the municipality, with a particular focus on the forest. It also aims to promote sustainable mobility and to put into practice the exercise of citizenship, alerting to the rights, duties and responsibilities of each stakeholder. In the Route, each school makes an activity of intervention and/or of environmental education in a green space or in the forest.

On April 16 and 17, 95 students from the 5^th year of the João Afonso de Aveiro School started the "Plants" Content in the Infante D. Pedro Park with the EduPARK app, in four sessions promoted by the EduPARK project.

It was with great enthusiasm that the young students got involved in the game supported by the EduPARK app. In groups, they read the path guides  provided by the app, found out the various interest places of the Park where they could learn within the curriculum, explored multimedia and Augmented Reality contents related to these places, discussed ideas and possible solutions to the challenges launched and catch virtual treasures.

As explained by the teacher of the four classes, Dulce Maia, her interest in the EduPARK game was due to the fact that she was about to start the "Plants" Content and wanted to motivate her students to enhance their learning. She also mentioned "I think your EduPARK project is a fantastic resource for this purpose."

The 3rd edition of the "Tablets in Education" Training, organized by the Centro de Formação de Aveiro e CCTIC-UA, counted once again with Lúcia Pombo, EduPARK coordinator, as a trainer in the session on May 9. In this session participated 13 teachers of the Basic and Secondary Education from several Grouping of Schools of the region of Aveiro.

The session included four moments: a) presentation of the project, b) exploration of the EduPARK mobile application by the trainee teachers, c) creation of educational resources that could be integrated into outdoor activities, d) synchronous sharing of these resources followed by their presentation to the big group.

The teachers expressed enthusiasm in the exploration of the EduPARK App and revealed interest in accompanying their students during an EduPARK Activity in the Infante D. Pedro Park, in the near future.

The trainees said that "the activities [of this session] are very interesting, but they need more time" and that "this kind of application should be created for different places in the city, such as the Santa Joana Museum or the New Art Route", "these contents should be disseminated to teachers", "[training teachers] should go to the Infante D. Pedro Park" in the scope of teacher training, which is scheduled for next July 9^th.

It is with pleasure that the EduPARK team invites teachers to participate in the Short-Term Training Action (4 hours) “EU AMO EduPARK - Educação Ubíqua com a Aplicação Móvel Outdoor EduPARK” (I LOVE EduPARK - Ubiquitous Education with the EduPARK Outdoor Mobile Application). This is an accredited, innovative and totally outdoor training that will take place at Infante D. Pedro Park, in Aveiro, on July 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

See the disclosure leaflet and sign up through goo.gl/HynKqz, as there is a maximum number of participants. Registration is open until July 4, free and mandatory, for the issuance of the authenticated certificate by the Centro de Formação de Associação de Escolas dos Concelhos de Aveiro e de Albergaria-a-Velha (CFA-ECAAV). 

See also some photos from last year's edition.

For any additional clarification contact: de- edupark@ua.pt

In May, 162 students from the 2^nd to the 4^th school-year of the Santiago School Centre went to the Infante D. Pedro Park. Here, the students explored the EduPARK app to learn in a mobile way and with augmented reality. The EduPARK project organized seven sessions with this activity.

Teacher Elisabete Ribeiro, who attended the second edition of the training "Tablets in education: promotion of digital skills in the field of mobile learning", was the link between the School Centre and the Project, with the purpose of giving the students of this institution a day learning in a different way.

Students were enthusiastic about using mobile devices to learn the curriculum in an unusual environment - the Park of their city. In groups, students engaged in the EduPARK game, following the orientation instructions provided by the app, discovering the places of interest, exploring the multimedia and augmented reality contents related with those places, discussing possible solutions for the challenges and also finding virtual treasures.

The class teachers also expressed satisfaction with the app. For example, teacher José Agostinho, the teachers of a 2^nd year class, said: "The students loved it and I think it is a very interesting way of learning because it allies the novelty, to the responsibility, to the motivation and to the means that students easily dominate nowadays. Students interact and are predisposed to learn something new."

The EduPARK project activities are still in high demand, even in the context of non-formal education. Just last week, about 55 children on vacation explored the Infante D. Pedro Park with the EduPARK app.

At a time when the use of mobile phones in schools is being debated, the demand for the EduPARK activities, which promote mobile learning with augmented reality in outdoor environments, continues to increase. Just last week, about 55 children from three non-formal learning promoting institutions - the "Cartola do Sábio" (Aradas) and "Soma e Segue" (Esgueira) Study Centres and also the Barcelos Conservatory of Music - have already used the EduPARK app. This app integrates several guides or educational games that aim to instigate learning of biology, mathematics, among other disciplines, in a different way in the Infante D. Pedro Park, also known as Monkey Park.

As a group, the young explorers walked the Park following the guidance of the Monkey of the EduPARK app to experience the augmented reality available in various points of interest of the Park. At the same time, they discover or even remember the physical state of the lake water, the primary colors of the kindergarten equipment and the reproductive structures of botanical species of the Park, among others. The EduPARK app game aroused interest and enthusiasm on the part of the children who, during their vacation, had fun learning in a context of non-formal learning. 

The adults accompanying the children also expressed great satisfaction with the activity. For example, one teacher mentioned that the activity is well achieved insofar as it "explores natural, cultural and architectural resources in an attractive way," considering that this type of exploration could be extended to other points of interest in the city of Aveiro.

This Thursday (July 5), children from the program "Summer Vacation with Science" of the Factory Ciência Viva Aveiro explored the Infante D. Pedro Park with the EduPARK mobile application.

Collaboration between the Factory Ciência Viva Aveiro and the EduPARK project allowed children, who enrolled in the program "Summer Holidays with Science - The Guardians of Planet Earth" (http://www.ua.pt/fabrica/ferias_verao_programa ), to learn with augmented reality in the Infante D. Pedro Park.

Accompanied by the EduPARK Monkey, the project's friendly mascot, the Guardians of the Planet Earth had fun with a game of the project's mobile application, which led them to walk a trail in the park and learn new things about various botanical species of the park, about renowned Aveirenses or even mathematics in the Tea House.

“EU AMO EduPARK” (I LOVE EduPARK), an accredited, innovative and totally outdoor teacher training, took place on July 9 at the Infante D. Pedro Park and it was a success, according to the feedback from participating teachers.

Twenty-six teachers attended the short-term training course "EU AMO EduPARK - Educação Ubíqua com a Aplicação Móvel Outdoor EduPARK” (I LOVE EduPARK - Ubiquitous Education with the EduPARK Outdoor Mobile Application), which included: a) presentation of the EduPARK project and its mobile application (app), b) exploration of the app's four didactic guides by teachers in the park, c) creation of educational resources that can be integrated into outdoor learning activities, and d) discussion of the work carried out during a shared picnic. 

The trainee teachers gave very positive feedback regarding the training and the EduPARK app. Their comments included: "This training meets current educational needs, combining very important factors in education - technology, observation of reality and the intersection between the two. It was, therefore, an excellent added value for my professional development"; "With this app it is possible to get students to learn concepts using the technologies they like / use"; and "All training, such as this, which shows us different ways of approaching knowledge is always welcome." Some of them had even attended EduPARK training sessions previously, and one teacher said "It was worthwhile to have been able to experience, in real context, what I learned in a training a few months ago."

Under the motto "Diversity at Risk! Brigade in action! ", the EduPARK Monkey guided 20 children of the 5^th and 6^th school-years in the exploring of the diversity of the Infante D. Pedro Park, on July 10, within the scope of the Summer Academy - Department of Education and Psicology offer.

It was with great joy and good mood that the children, in small groups, used smartphones with the EduPARK mobile application to play an interdisciplinary, interactive quiz with access to Augmented Reality content that involves the search for virtual treasures. 

At the end of the activity, the young explorers filled out a questionnaire about the activity, where it was verified that 80% "loved" the activity and 20% "liked it a lot" and they explained their opinion: "I liked the idea they had and I think it is very important to learn. "; "EduPARK is a place for the whole family, it is a place of great fun."; "EduPARK is a lot of fun and good to learn more."

This Wednesday, July 18, several groups of researchers of the CIDTFF had fun with the EduPARK application in the Infante D. Pedro Park, as a social activity organized by the CIDTFF coordination, by the Group of Fellow Researchers and by the EduPARK project team.

It was on last Wednesday that 23 researchers from CIDTFF and some relatives had the opportunity to explore the Infante D. Pedro Park with the EduPARK mobile application, which integrates educational games. The members walked through the Park, discovering several sites with Augmented Reality content and responding to the questions and challenges proposed by the EduPARK Monkey.

The researchers were interested, amused and even surprised by the features of the EduPARK app, in particular, with the Augmented Reality. Some comments include, for example: "I think EduPARK is in line with what we want in today's education: it brings together scientific information on a multimodal platform with accessible and personalized (at a high level) language." and have made some constructive criticism. 

In the end, they all gathered to discover which groups had accumulated more points in the game and won prizes of the project. They also had a socialising picnic with delicacies shared by the participants. This activity was organized by the CIDTFF coordination, by the Group of Fellow Researchers and by the EduPARK project team to foster bonding between researchers of the research center, regardless of their experience or research area.

On July 19, more than 80 children from the Holidays Campus of Lordemão (Coimbra), accompanied by 10 teachers, went to the Infante D. Pedro Park to explore the EduPARK app and learn in a fun way during the summer holidays.

It was with the help of the EduPARK Monkey that students and teachers discovered different points of interest of the Park, with contents in Augmented Reality, to learn biology, mathematics, English, and other subjects, in a contextualized and authentic way. 

At the end of their activities, the young explorers explained why they liked the outdoor game they had just completed: "I liked having to search and come to a conclusion by thinking in a group"; "What I liked the most was learning new things; What I liked the least was walking. But deep down I enjoyed the experience"; "With this activity we can learn more about the environment and about ??Aveiro". Some also added "... and I want to use again the application."

The teachers accompanying the children and young people also explained their opinion: "The activity is very interesting and motivating"; "A well-organized activity that allows students to interact and get in touch with nature and with the content taught in the classroom."

This Tuesday, at the request of the Municipality of Aveiro, 14 children from the Holiday Camp of the Santa Joana Teaching Establishment used the EduPARK app to learn in a fun way, in a non-formal environment.

On July 24, it was the turn of 14 children from the Holiday Camp of the Santa Joana Teaching Establishment to learn in a fun way with the EduPARK app in the Park. This activity was organized through the intervention of Dr. Paula Lopes, from the Environment, Energy and Works Division of the Municipality of Aveiro.

Among the reactions of the participants are: "I liked it because I learned some things that I did not know and I also had fun" (11 years old) and "Very interesting activity that promotes the acquisition of multiple skills, from scientific to social" ( accompanying teacher).

EduPARK was part of the activities program of the public session of presentation of the City Park, organized by the Municipality  of Aveiro, which took place on July 29. The participants met at the Fábrica da Ciência (Science Factory) and moved to the Infante D. Pedro Park. Here the "Mother of Water / Deposit" was inaugurated and the mini-game EduPARK was held, with the support of the mobile app with Augmented Reality.

This Thursday, 10 children learned while playing with the EduPARK app in the Infante D. Pedro Park, under the "Summer Vacation with Science" program of the Fábrica Centro de Ciência Viva of Aveiro.

New collaboration between the Fábrica and the EduPARK project allowed children, who enrolled in the program "Summer Holidays with Science - The Guardians of Planet Earth", to learn with augmented reality in the Infante D. Pedro Park.

On Friday, September 28, the European Researchers' Night was held at the Fábrica - Centro de Ciência Viva Aveiro, which counted with the participation of the EduPARK project.

Kids and adults took the opportunity to get to know and try out the EduPARK app, as if they were in the Infante D. Pedro Park, either in free mode, that is, free exploration of augmented reality triggered on tree identification plaques and tiles, and in game mode, through a mini-game with four quiz type questions. The reactions were very positive, with several participants expressing interest in using the application in the Park itself.

For more information about the event, see: http://www.ua.pt/fabrica/nei

On November 7^th, about 40 students of the vocational education from the Dr. Ferreira da Silva School Group - Cucujães - went to the Infante D. Pedro Park to do the EduPARK activity and to learn English in a fun and healthy way, in class context.

The 11^th and 12^th grade students and their accompanying teachers explored the park with the support of the learning guide of the EduPARK app directed to the tourist in English. In this guide the Monkey provides instructions and presents content in English, offering opportunities for authentic and contextualized learning in different locations of interest in the park.

The students gave feedback on their mobile learning experience in the park: 'I really enjoyed the activity. Although I have difficulty in English, I have overcome my difficulties'; 'We will never forget this place and this activity'; 'It was fun and this is a good learning method.'

The accompanying teachers considered the activity: 'very interesting. In addition to promoting learning, it promotes physical exercise.'

The EduPARK Project received the prestigious award from the European Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) Team Award for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (https://www.eciu.org/the-eci-team-award). This award aims to promote, celebrate and disseminate innovative projects in teaching and learning developed by groups and/or interdisciplinary teams. This is an initiative of ECIU members who share commited to high quality educational practice and wish to reward and give visibility to exemplary practices that demonstrate innovation and seek pedagogical excellence.

Each institution of the Consortium may submit only one application for the Team Award. This annual prize, worth € 2,500, is attributed to the institutional project that most corresponds to the established innovation criteria and which challenges the current ways of thinking about how people learn.

In May of this year, the EduPARK Project was selected by the Rectory of the University of Aveiro (UA) to represent the University in the Team Award, having been "the representative project of the pedagogical excellence of the academy", within "excellent works presented in this contest" . The news can be revisited here: http://blogs.ua.pt/cidtff/index.php/2018/05/04/ua-seleciona-o-edupark-para-o-european-consortium-of-innovative-universities -team-award-for-innovation-in-teaching-and-learning/ 

At European level, after examining all the applications, the Team Award jury selected EduPARK's candidacy as the winner and justified its decision on the following: 

    a) The team is made up of several experts from different disciplines who work together in this project, being multidisciplinary; 

    b) The integration of Augmented Reality into a day-to-day technology, such as the smartphone, is a very innovative idea; 

    c) The project is a good example of how an everyday object can also be used as an educational tool; 

    d) The project is an excellent example of what ECIU intends to achieve: challenge conventional thinking about education. 

Lúcia Pombo, coordinator of EduPARK, and Margarida M. Marques, research fellow of the Project, were on November 14^th in the Technological University of Hamburg, Germany, to receive the award from Mark Brown, President of the ECIU Board, and Màrius Martínez, Vice-Rector for International Relations of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. On behalf of the EduPARK team, the coordinator Lúcia Pombo began her speech by thanking the institution that hosts the award-winning project, the Center for Research in Didactics and Technology in Training of Trainers (CIDTFF) at the UA, and explained the essence of EduPARK with a flower, in which each petal corresponded to an essential element of the project, playing the game of "he loves me, he loves me not". In the end, the project was widely praised and the team was congratulated by the international scientific community. The ceremony was also attended by members of ECIU-UA, Vice Rector Artur Silva and Senior Advisor of University Networks of the European Union, Niall Power.

The news related to this event, "EduPARK shines in the City and in Europe", was published in Diário de Aveiro on November 19, in the section Laboration Continuous, p. 24, which explains the project and the relevance of mentioned premium. It can be read here: http://uaonline.ua.pt/upload/med/joua_m_5312.pdf

EduPARK, in the context of the Integrated Science of Nature II (ISN II), promotes the mobile learning activity in outdoor context "Biodiversity and preservation", with 20% weight in the evaluation. The students / future professionals in Education experience contextualized learning in the urban park, using Augmented Reality, integrating disciplines such as Physics, Chemistry, Geology and Biology, in line with the curricular plan of the ISN I and ISN II of the Basic Education High Degree.

After a theoretical background lesson in mobile learning and presentation of the EduPARK Project, the two ISN II classes developed the project activity in the Infante D. Pedro Park, on November 19^th and 22^nd. In this context, the students explored the educational guide directed to their academic level, where are integrated questions articulated with the programmatic contents of ISN I and ISN II, through the app EduPARK. In this way, authentic learning was fostered, based on the principles of geocaching and exploring the features in Augmented Reality on tiles and plaques that are located throughout the park.

This learning activity is integrated into the programmatic sequence of ISN II. It is followed by the production of an individual reflection on this teaching methodology in terms of its educational value, motivation and conservation and sustainability habits, as well as a lesson of group assignment presentation of questions that can be used in a mobile application for Teaching. Both products contribute to the evaluation of the work developed by the students within the scope of this curricular unit.

On this Saturday, CIDTFF researchers Lúcia Pombo and Margarida M. Marques ran, at invitation, the Workshop "Support outdoor learning with Augmented Reality - the EduPARK app", in the the meeting encont[RA]r - International Meeting of Augmented Reality Technology in Education, at   Santo Tirso, and with the joint organization of the Laboratório de Educação a Distância e E-learning (LE@D) [Laboratory of Distance Education and E-learning] - Open University and of the Museu Internacional de Escultura Contemporânea de Santo Tirso (MIEC). [International Museum of Contemporary Sculpture of Santo Tirso].

In this accredited training, held on January 19^th at Tomaz Pelayo Secondary School, non-higher education science teachers had the opportunity to explore the EduPARK app as if they were in the Aveiro park. Teachers experienced the game and enjoyed the augmented reality for the first time, at least most of them. In a second phase of the workshop, teachers collaboratively produced educational resources in a game-based and Augmented Reality mobile learning perspective. Finally, they shared and discussed their resources, identifying strengths and points that could be improved in the work of each group.

Between February 4 and 14, about 140 students and their teachers from the School of S. Bernardo went to the Infante D. Pedro Park to learn with the EduPARK app.

In 2019, the season of EduPARK activities in the park began earlier and bigger. This February started with 6 sessions of EduPARK activities to support the approximately 140 students and their teachers in the exploration of the Infante D. Pedro Park. The young explorers played the EduPARK app game to make interdisciplinary learning while discovering various points of interest in the park with augmented reality. In the end, the participants expressed their enthusiasm and satisfaction with this way of learning, using the mobile phones in the park of their city.

Between February 25 and 28, about 160 students from the 2^nd and 5^th years of the Mangualde School Group went to the Aveiro Park to learn from the EduPARK app, under the project  Mangualde Academi@STEM.

In an activity in coordination with the City Hall of Mangualde, EduPARK organized 7 sessions to support students and teachers in the exploration of the City Park of Aveiro with the project app. With tablets provided by the project Mangualde Academi@STEM, the children analyzed the augmented reality in various points of interest of the park to overcome the challenges proposed by the EduPARK Monkey and learn in an authentic and fun way.

Students and teachers reacted very positively to the activity. The younger ones said: "I enjoyed using the tablet outdoors, learning"; "I liked more the questions and answers. I enjoyed everything!" and "EduPARK is a lot of fun". The teachers emphasized that it is an activity with a great diversity of tasks, attractive and motivating for the students and a potenciator of interdisciplinary learning in a non-formal environment.

Under the Family Support Component of Esgueira and Barrocas, 35 children explored the City Park with the EduPARK app, on April 16, during the Easter holiday.

With the support of the EduPARK team and the project's PIC-LEB students, the children and their accompanying monitors used the EduPARK app to learn in the park in an authentic and fun way.

On April 24, a group of the school-year 10 of the Avelar Brotero Secondary School, in Coimbra, made the EduPARK activity, articulating the subjects of Biology-Geology, Physical-Chemistry and English.

The accompanying teachers and the students themselves showed much interest and enthusiasm with the EduPARK app, having explored in detail the resources in Augmented Reality and learned in an authentic and contextualized way. One of the teachers said 'this activity is very interactive, appealing and encourages discovery, so I congratulate the team that conceived it.'

On April 29th and 30th, students, professors and other visitors to the University of Aveiro had the opportunity to explore the EduPARK application during XPERIMENTA.

In free mode or in game mode, hundreds of visitors of this technology show got to know the application and several features in augmented reality that were developed to be explored in the Infante D. Pedro Park, in Aveiro.

On May 8th, it was the accredited training, totally in the outdoors in the Infante D. Pedro Park, and was a training moment that 'feels like doing again', according to feedback from participating teachers.

The possibility of rain did not discourage this group of 19 teachers, from basic and secondary education, from participating in the Short-Term Training Action "I LOVE EduPARK - Ubiquitous Education with the EduPARK Outdoor Mobile Application", 2^nd edition. The action was structured as follows: a) presentation of the EduPARK project and its mobile application (app), b) exploration of one of the four didactic guides of the app by the teachers in the park, c) creation of educational resources that could be used integrated in outdoor mobile learning activities, d) discussion of the work done during a shared picnic, e) delivery of small prizes according to the results of the game.

Teachers were very enthusiastic about the EduPARK app and its resources, particularly the 3D models in augmented reality, a new feature of the app that supports  its users' learning. Among the comments made by participating teachers to the EduPARK app and training, the following can be highlighted: 'The activity is very interesting and well designed. For this reason, I believe that even the less committed students will adhere greatly, and it may be a reason for them to engage more in school work'; 'Very interesting activity, motivating, playful, formative, ... The application was well conceived'; 'I think the methodology was very good, as well as the support of the trainers. (...) The training was excellent. Congratulations! I have not had so much fun in training for a long time, at the same time I have learned. (...)'

The EduPARK Monkeys were also present in the training, contributing to the participants' good mood and motivation.

On May 13, 21 students from the Master's Degree in Pre-School Education and Teaching in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education explored the EduPARK app in the City Park.

The students of the Curricular Unit Didactics of the Natural and Social Sciences in the Early Years experienced the EduPARK activity through the educational guide directed to their academic level. This comprises cross-subjects questions relevant to natural sciences, such as biology, physics and chemistry.

This way, students had the opportunity to learn in an authentic and contextualized way, in the park, through mobile and augmented reality technologies, triggered by markers on plaques identifying plants and on tiles in the park.

Under the scope of her Master's work in Applied Biology, the student Luísa Gomes created a new educational guide, with the support of the EduPARK team, which is integrated in the project's app. This guide was explored in the park by 25 students of the 8th year of the João Afonso de Aveiro Basic School, on June 13.

The groups of students followed a path that guided them to the contextualized learning within the scope of the Natural Sciences discipline. The teacher of the students considered that the guide is suitable for students of the 8^th year of schooling, effectively promoting curricular learning in the Natural Sciences area. The students showed motivation and enthusiasm with outdoor play, having explored the various educational resources associated with the guide.

Luísa Gomes collected data for research purposes, within the scope of her master's dissertation.

Under the DEP offer of the Summer Academy, with the theme "Expedition to the Moon! 3,2,1 ... take off! ", EduPARK's Macaca guided 21 young astronauts on the exploration of Parque Infante D. Pedro, on July 11.   

Using the EduPARK app, which integrates Augmented Reality content, the children learned while playing, in a group, and had a pleasant time in the Park. Groups that answered correctly the higher number of questions, found all the hidden treasures and collected more bananas received EduPARK prizes, but all were entitled to a small participation prize.