Glória Bastos

Effects of a virtual learning environment on librarian's information literacy and digital literacy competences

The relationship of student teachers’ attitudes towards disability, social inclusion and technology’s role in that process was investigated in this study. Results are situated in the context of current literature on social inclusion in the modern technological society, emphasizing people’s ability to use tech‐ nology in order to engage in meaningful social practices. The student teachers’ attitudes towards social inclusion, perceived information literacy, self-efficacy, and perceived attributes of information and communication technologies (ICT) usage were the focus of this survey study. The questionnaire was administered to 300 future teachers studying at the graduate level in Croatia’s university system (University of Zagreb and University of Split). The data collected from the repre‐ sentative sample indicated a high correlation between student teachers’ attitudes towards disability and social inclusion, the self-assessment of information literacy and perceived attributes of ICT access and usage.

Prazerosa : interactive reading chair

Thisarticledescribeshowtopromotereadingamongstchildren,changingthefocusonthelanguages traditionallyinvolvedintheprint,tothereadingenvironmentandaddingotherinteractivelanguages, hasledtotheinventionof:“Prazeroza–InteractiveReadingChair”.Theintentionistogeneratea peculiarreadingenvironment,animmersiveone,createdthroughinteractivity.Thereaderalready constructsinhisimagination,whenreadingabook,torealsensationsfeltthroughhisbody,vary accordingly with the narrative’s characteristics. This article is started by describing a possible interaction between reader and Prazerosa. After which, it will lay all the paths taken regarding aesthetics, literature,mechanics,electronicsandcomputation, toarrive to thedesired immersive readingenvironment.Thisapproachcombinestheinteractiveandvirtualbetweenthereader, the visuallanguagespresentinthebook,andthemachineryandluminosityoflanguagesintroducedby Prazeroza. KeywoRdS Augmented Reality, Book, Immersion, Interactivity, Literature, Reading Environment, Reading Promotion, Virtual Reality

Effects of a Virtual Learning Environment on Librarians’ Information Literacy and Digital Literacy Competences

The continuing professional development of librarians is a requirement imposed by the permanent progress of the knowledge society. In this context, Universidade Aberta (Portuguese Open University) offers a post-graduate course in Library and Information Sciences for librarians. Being an e-learning course based on a Learning Management System (LMS), it is expected that the course not only develops information literacy (IL) and digital literacy (DL) skills but also allows for the deepening of these skills due to the learning environment itself. The aim of this study was to analyze students’ perception in relation to their competences in IL and DL and the articulation between their development and the virtual learning context. The adopted methodology was a case study, through the application of a questionnaire, to students from the 2012 to 2015 editions of the course. The results show that at the end of the course, students consider having significantly improved their IL and DL skills, which directly influences their daily work practices.

Digital literacy of school leaders : what impacts in schools? : results of two studies from Portugal

This paper presents the results from two studies concerning a project conducted in secondary Portuguese schools. The first study is focused on the school members responsible for the development of projects related to digital literacies. The second study is a case study that aims to understand the perceptions and use of technologies by teachers and students. Through these studies it is possible to identify the skills profile of school leaders, particularly in terms of digital literacy, and to relate this profile with the local implementation of pedagogical practices involving digital technologies. The results show that as a consequence of the implementation of the Technological Plan for Education, schools were equipped with appropriate technological resources and teachers developed digital literacy skills. Skilled leaders in digital literacy revealed encouraging attitudes towards their colleagues and students. These leaders have a transformational leadership profile that, according to literature, generates a better environment for the involvement of different educational actors.

Immigrants and Immigration in Portuguese Children's Literature

The aim of this paper is to reflect on the existence and relevance of the theme of migrations in contemporary Portuguese childrens literature and to analyze the representations of immigrants and their cultures in those literary productions. We also question the way those portrayals may contribute to childrens global citizenship, to cultural exchanges and to a world without boundaries.