Serious Game no tratamento de obesidade infantil: uma proposta de interação natural com monitoramento remoto

The number of overweight people has increased in the last few years. Factors such as attention to diet and changes in lifestyle are crucial in the prevention and control of obesity and diseases related to it. Experts believe that such actions are most effective when initiated during childhood, and that children raised in an environment that encourages physical activity ultimately become healthier adults. However, to arouse and maintain interest in such activities represent a major challenge, which are initially perceived as repetitive and boring, and, thus, soon abandoned. Computer games, traditionally seen as stimulants to a sedentary lifestyle are changing this perception using non-conventional controls that require constant movement of the player. Applications that combine the playfulness of such games to physical activity through devices, like Microsoft Kinect, might become interesting tools in this scenario, by using the familiarity of Natural User Interfaces along with the challenge and the fun of video games, in order to make attractive exercise routines for schoolchildren. The project carried out consists of an exergame composed of several activities designed and implemented with the participation of a Physical Educator, aimed at children between eight and ten years old, whose performance and progress can be remotely monitored by a professional via web interface. The application arising from this work was accompanied by tests with a group of graduating Physical Education students from the University of Rio Verde GO, and subsequently validated through questionnaires whose results are shown on this work.

As escolas polivalentes do Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Paranaíba (MG): sondagem vocacional no projeto desenvolvimentista civil-militar (1965–1976)

This study has as object eight state vocational schools located in Araguari, Araxá, Frutal, Ituiutaba, Monte Carmelo, Patos de Minas, Uberaba and Uberlândia, in Minas Gerais. The period analyzed comprises the years from 1965 to 1976, from the signature of the Agreement 512-11-610-042 beteween the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) and the American Agency for International Development (USAID), which started a series of other agreements, and actions ending up with the creation of the Expansion and Improvement of High Schools Program (Programa de Expansão e Melhoria do Ensino Médio - PREMEM) and, from this, the Vocational Schools. The upper limit of the study, 1976, was the year when these agreements, known as MEC/USAID agreements ceased. The Vocational Schools were characterized as vocation probing schools, directing the professional formation of the population in general, which would happen a posteriori, turning it shorter and more effective, since the labor market would demand, urgently, capable professionals for an expanding economy. The project of Vocational Schools had a national scope, and foresaw, for its unfolding, the complete substitution of State Schools for the new model, called “multi-curricula”. The theme Vocational schools was the object of my Master’s degree study, when I focused the State School Guiomar de Freitas Costa, in Uberlândia. That study raised questionings and concerns that resulted in the central problem of the thesis presented here: understanding the measure in which such schools integrated the country’s development project – mostly in the first half of the military rule – and to understand its structure, functionality and efficacyThe development of the study presented here, demanded the use of several sources: 1) specialized literature about the topics presented, i.e., the situation of national education in a temporal analysis, the political, economical and social context, research methodologies, the theory of human capital, vocational teaching, pedagogical trends and practices, agreements MEC-USAID and PREMEM; 2) national, state and county laws related to the discussion: laws of national education directives and basis, decrees and reports stating about the program of technical cooperation between Brazil and the United States of America, the Program of Expansion and Improvement of Teaching (PREMEM), formation of professors, establishment of Vocational Schools and educational planning; 3) documentation of school archives: books of minutes of Collegiate and of faculty and staff, registrar books with final scores, enrolment, visits of inspector, accounting books, punch clock records, student, professor and staff occurrences, inventory, class schedules, school year calendar, school rules, class reports, payment rolls, bills of sales, exchanged mail, personal documentation of professional personnel, documents of land acquisition, blueprints, manuals of PREMEM, didactic materials/resources used in classes, books available in the school library, structured evaluations for follow-up of school processes, pictures of events, texts prepared for special dates, and news from the official newspaper and, finally, 4) national and local press reports, especially from Folha de São Paulo, Correio de Araxá, Correio de Uberlândia and Lavoura e Comércio (Uberaba). The proposition of Vocational schools was conciliate theoretical and practical formation through an active education permeated by technological resources. The contact with knowledge and several practical activities under professional supervision, the student would identify the knowledge area that would interest him the most and his aptitude. This formation in primary school would make way for the vocation studies in high school, which became mandatory by the law 5.692/71, that reformed school education from the previous levels of elementary, middle high and high school. However, the multi-curricula proposal that would be spread to the other public schools in the country ended up succumbing to the model already established. From its ephemeral existence, maybe the Vocational Schools have not reached the more general goals in political, economic and social aspects; however, this study demonstrated that, for the people that, directly or indirectly, had contact with such schools, a legacy of vocational and quality teaching was made, so much so, that forty years after the end of that proposal, they are still remembered.

Formação inicial do professor de matemática com uso de tecnologias da informação e comunicação no contexto da escola pública

This paper intends to analyze which contribution for teachers formative training the participation on extension projects can bring to the bachelors in Mathematics teaching. The research was conducted during the developing of a Project from the Program of Extension - Programa de Extensão UFU/Comunidade (PEIC) in a municipal school located in a country zone from Uberlândia-MG. The research was constituted by a series of activities with students from the ninth year of the Fundamental Education, Middle School. The main focus is the work developed by two bachelors of Mathemactics teaching from the Federal University from Uberlândia who were part of the PEIC team. This present research intends to answer the following question: How the extension project “Information technology and communication on Mathematics problem resolution in country zone schools” has contribited to reinforce and to (re)criate the fomative experiences of students from the Mathematics teaching course who have developed such project? The presente study is from a qualitative nature and has made use of the partaker searching methodology. The presente paper was organized in three chapters. On chapter I evidence is given to theoretical discussion made, having as main references the works of Larrosa, Ponte e Shön. Chapter II brings the description of the three activities that were developed and aplied during the PEIC Project, which are: Problems in the Park, Inaccessible Hight and Lili Game. On chapter III, the data analysis is presented. The data was obtained through instruments of registration such as: camera recording, photografic material, meetings reports, field notes, surveys and semi-structured interviews. The initial hypothesis aim is on the fact that the participation on extention projects during the graduation course can bring rich contribution for the teachers to be, since it’s going to provide the knowledge and chalenge close to the one from the future profession. With the analysis of the obtained results from the colected data, it was possible to conclude that the PEIC has provided the bachelors in Mathematics teching the opportunity of recreate and potenciate their formative experiences. Such opportunity happened in situations that involved, for example, planning makings, development of colective work, softwares usage, different school spaces and the direct interaction with school bureaucracy. Beyond that, it was possible to work with the cocepts of reflection in action in a way to contribute to the professional development of the future Mathematics teachers. Thereby, in our final considerations, is possible to conclude that extension projects performed during the graduation course can bring great contributions to the professional formation of the bachelors in Mathematics teaching, among them we highlight the potentiation of the previous formative experiences and the development of colective work and behavior related to a reflexive teacher.