Dificuldades de aprendizagem na leitura e na escrita: o contributo de jogos eletr��nicos na motiva����o e na aprendizagem

Projeto de Interven����o apresentado �� Escola Superior de Educa����o de Lisboa para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Educa����o Especial, Especializa����o em Problemas de Aprendizagem e Comportamento

Guia de desenvolvimento de jogos para programadores independentes

Os v��deo jogos ou jogos de computador t��m vindo a crescer na sua rela����o com o p��blico ganhando terreno e credibilidade nos benef��cios que os jogadores obt��m quando usam este tipo de software, indo esses benef��cios para al��m do divertimento associado �� palavra jogo no seu sentido etimol��gico. Nos ��ltimos anos cada vez mais o mercado e algumas das mais reputadas institui����es de ensino t��m dedicado especial aten����o a este tipo de software, englobando nesses estudos diversas ��reas desde a engenharia �� sa��de, incluindo ainda, estudos de cariz psicol��gico e sociol��gico reveladores de que estas experi��ncias de entretenimento, cada vez mais dispon��veis a todos, t��m influ��ncia na sua envolvente de integra����o e rela����o com outros fen��menos de cariz social. Apreciado o estado da arte esta tese tem como principal objetivo servir de guia de inicia����o a individuais ou pequenas equipas da ��rea de desenvolvimento de software no caminho para o desenvolvimento de jogos de v��deo independentes, apresentando uma an��lise cuidada capaz de apoiar as equipas desde o momento zero, estando o mesmo estruturado de forma a refletir o entendimento das bases te��ricas em que o desenvolvimento deste tipo de software assenta, o estado da arte sobre plataformas, an��lise de mercado e ind��stria, metodologias de desenvolvimento e equipas, e ainda analisadas algumas das mais relevantes ferramentas de desenvolvimento e cria����o de conte��dos. Como prova de conceito e componente de car��ter experimental, este trabalho compreende ainda o desenvolvimento de um jogo de v��deo guiado pelas orienta����es e li����es apreendidas durante o processo de estudo de forma a ser representativo da aplica����o dessa aprendizagem, e ainda capaz de detalhar passo a passo cada fase do processo, com o objetivo de apoiar a prepara����o de pessoas interessadas em iniciar a aventura de desenvolver os seus pr��prios jogos e quem sabe dar in��cio aos seus pr��prios neg��cios e empresas. O jogo desenvolvido replica um recente ��xito, o jogo 2048, que apesar da sua mec��nica simples revela-se um excelente desafio do ponto de vista da sua implementa����o, bem como o processo criativo adjacente no transformar algo t��o simples e experimentado numa experi��ncia nova capaz de atrair antigos jogadores e interesse de novos. O desenvolvimento e publica����o da aplica����o experimental, e ap��s an��lise dos dados recolhidos, mostram-se reveladores de que �� de fato poss��vel a programadores independentes entrar num mercado de alto potencial, e que adquiridas as bases de conhecimento expostas no documento estar��o em condi����es mais favor��veis para ultrapassar algumas das mais comuns barreiras no atingir desse objetivo.

How to promote healthy eating habits in children

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA ��� School of Business and Economics

English Language Learning Inside and Outside the Classroom in Portugal

This study investigates the way of learning the English language in Portugal. First-year students of the faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of New University of Lisbon were selected as participants in the case study. As data collection tools a questionnaire and focus-groups were used. 115 students completed the designed questionnaire and after that 12 students were selected for the more detailed focus-group discussions. Results of the research show that most part of the students�� English knowledge is received from outside the classroom by means of movies, songs, computer games, the Internet, communication with friends and other sources. Also, the results show that motivation is very important in language learning process and motivated students acquire the language faster and easier.

How to promote healthy eating habits in children

Childhood���s overweight and obesity are a worrying issue in the world nowadays. The purpose of this study was to provide contributions to the promotion of healthy food by analyzing the impact of physical activity, parents��� influence and home meals frequency on children���s food choices. Structured questionnaires were used and were answered by 172 children between 10 and 14 years old and by their respective parents. Children and parents preferred healthy food vs. non-healthy food presenting the children���s healthy food choices a mean of 4.26 and the parent���s healthy food choices a mean of 4.47 in a scale ranging from 0 to 6. Our results also show that physical activity, parent���s education and home meals frequency did not have an impact on children���s food choices, contrasting to the sedentary behavior and parents��� choices which had a negative and positive correlation, respectively, with children���s food choices. Taking these results into account and using them to advise parents and companies, we underline that parents must guarantee an adequate children���s nutrition after doing physical efforts and control the time children watch TV and play computer games and companies may create marketing campaigns and educational programs in order to promote healthy food, improve children���s eating habits and reduce the childhood obesity prevalence.

A Happy and a Healthy 2012

Many of us start the New Year with the best of intentions to lose weight, get fitter and eat well. It's that sense of new possibilities and fresh beginnings that can also help motivate changes in lifestyle. The Public Health Agency advises that making small changes to your own and your family's lifestyle can have a significant impact on improving overall health. Taking time to reflect, and making a plan, can all help. Choosing healthier food and increasing your physical activity will help maintain a healthy weight and prevent unwanted weight gain, which can have serious implications for a person's physical and mental health as it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, respiratory problems, joint pain and depression.What can I do to improve my health?Make 1 or 2 small changes at a time - don't try to change your lifestyle radically or all at once as you're more likely to fail. Small changes in what you eat, or how active you are, are easier to make and more likely to be maintained.Mary Black, Assistant Director of Health and Wellbeing Improvement, PHA, said: "The New Year brings a time when many people reflect on their lives and very often eating more healthily is one of things they identify for change. I recommend setting a couple of small, achievable targets that can then be continued in the long term, for example:Eat breakfast everyday;Eat an extra portion of vegetables every day;Swap deep fried chips for oven chips;Choose fruit for between-meal snacks instead of a biscuit or bun;Begin to enjoy a hot drink on its own without feeling the need to have something sweet at the same time.Be active. Any sort of activity will be good for you. Think about how you can be more active each day. This doesn't have to involve running a marathon or joining a gym. Some suggestions include:���� Go for walks with the children/family or friends. It's free! Walk on your lunch break;���� Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator;���� Park further away and walk to work/school;���� Get off the bus a stop earlier and walk the rest;���� Minimise the amount of time you are sitting down - take breaks from the computer at work or watching TV at home and walk around;���� Children and adults can build up to the recommended daily activity levels in 10 minute sessions rather than doing it all in one session.Adults need at least 30 minutes, five days a week of moderate physical activity and children need 60 minutes of physical activity every day.Mary continued "It's easy for people to get into the habit of spending their spare time sitting down - watching TV, playing computer games, listening to their MP3 players - but being active will help you maintain a healthy weight and generally make you feel better. It can also improve your mood, reduce anxiety and protect against depression."It is what you do most of the time that really matters, so if you eat too much or don't exercise on any one day, don't worry too much - just accept it and get back to your new way of eating and being more active as soon as possible.

Implementaci��n de un generador de contenido web sem��ntico con posiciones did��cticas de ajedrez

An��lisis, dise��o y desarrollo de un aplicativo que a partir de un fichero con formato "PGN" genere dos tipos distintos de fichero, el primero ser�� una p��gina HTML con contenido gr��fico que represente las posiciones, soluciones y datos complementarios de cada posici��n, y el segundo fichero contendr�� una base de conocimiento en formato OWL, ontolog��a compuesta de clases y propiedades, previamente definidas con Prot��g��, y de individuos que ser��n creados din��micamente a partir de la informaci��n contenida en el fichero PGN de entrada.

Basket manager: administraci����web��i��comer����electr��nic��en��entorns��de��programari��lliure

Joc en l��nia senzill de gesti�� esportiva basat en b��squet.

Video Gaming in Children Improves Performance on a Virtual Reality Trainer but Does Not yet Make a Laparoscopic Surgeon.

Background: In children, video game experience improves spatial performance, a predictor of surgical performance. This study aims at comparing laparoscopic virtual reality (VR) task performance of children with different levels of experience in video games and residents. Participants and methods: A total of 32 children (8.4 to 12.1 years), 20 residents, and 14 board-certified surgeons (total n = 66) performed several VR and 2 conventional tasks (cube/spatial and pegboard/fine motor). Performance between the groups was compared (primary outcome). VR performance was correlated with conventional task performance (secondary outcome). Results: Lowest VR performance was found in children with low video game experience, followed by those with high video game experience, residents, and board-certified surgeons. VR performance correlated well with the spatial test and moderately with the fine motor test. Conclusions: The use of computer games can be considered not only as pure entertainment but may also contribute to the development of skills relevant for adequate performance in VR laparoscopic tasks. Spatial skills are relevant for VR laparoscopic task performance.

Disseny i construcci�� d'un motor 3D en temps real per la Gameboy Advance

El projecte desenvolupat ha tractat l���estudi i disseny d���un motor 3D interactiu a la consolaGame Boy Advance (GBA). La GBA disposa d���un processador ARM7TDMI a 16���78Mhz i no disposa de operacions 3D per-hardware, ��s una consola lenta en comparaci�� lesque podem trobar al mercat d���avui en dia. Aquest treball, va partir de la construcci�� d���un prototipus ray-casting per-columna. Despr��s,v��rem adaptar-lo a una estructura de portals i sectors. M��s tard,es va introduir el mapeig de sostre/terra i de paisatges. Per ��ltim,v��rem introduir efectes a la renderitzaci�� per donar m��s realismeal recorregut del m��n, com il��luminaci��, objectes, etc.Tot i que es va estudiar l���arquitectura d���un motor eficient, no estenia prou per arribar a tenir un motor interactiu. Una de lestasques m��s dif��cils va ser la part de optimitzaci��. Peraconseguir-ho s���ha hagut de substituir operacions a temps realcostoses a temps de execuci��, replantejar parts de l���algorisme per fer-lo m��s eficient, entre altres

Usando um Jogo Digital na Sala de Aula do Ensino Fundamental: Vis��o dos Professores

A digital game was created as a resource for cognitive learning and afterwards it was used in primary schools in order to survey its active users. The methods used to recollect data were observation, in-depth interviews and focus groups. The main target of this study is to collect points of view of different primary school teachers. Conclusions show us how the group of study members perceive the use of digital games in the classroom.

Desenvolupament d'un motor 2D per videojocs de plataformes m��bils

L���objectiu del projecte ��s la creaci�� d���un motor gr��fic id���esdeveniments per a jocs RPG per a plataformes m��bils, en aquest casper a Nintendo DS. S���ha de remarcar que el que s���est�� proposant no ��s laprogramaci�� d���un videojoc, sin�� que el que es desenvolupar�� ��s el motorde joc. Aquest motor comptar�� no solament amb la funcionalitat b��sica devisualitzaci�� i animaci�� d���escenaris i personatges, detecci�� de col���lisionsentre personatges i elements de l���escenari, sin�� que a m��s, comptar�� ambles funcionalitats pr��pies dels jocs m��s sofisticats (esdeveniments). Aquestmotor ��s compatible per a Nintendo DS i/o qualsevol emulador d���aquestaplataforma per a PC

Sortir del Laberint : un joc per pensar

���Sortir del Laberint��� ��s un joc tipus puzzle, l���objectiu principal del qual ��s aconseguir que el jugador pugui sortir d���un laberint amb el m��nim nombre de passes i el m��s r��pid possible.

Effects of P300-based BCI use on reported presence in a virtual environment

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are becoming more and more popular as an input device for virtual worlds and computer games. Depending on their function, a major drawback is the mental workload associated with their use and there is significant effort and training required to effectively control them. In this paper, we present two studies assessing how mental workload of a P300-based BCI affects participants" reported sense of presence in a virtual environment (VE). In the first study, we employ a BCI exploiting the P300 event-related potential (ERP) that allows control of over 200 items in a virtual apartment. In the second study, the BCI is replaced by a gaze-based selection method coupled with wand navigation. In both studies, overall performance is measured and individual presence scores are assessed by means of a short questionnaire. The results suggest that there is no immediate benefit for visualizing events in the VE triggered by the BCI and that no learning about the layout of the virtual space takes place. In order to alleviate this, we propose that future P300-based BCIs in VR are set up so as require users to make some inference about the virtual space so that they become aware of it,which is likely to lead to higher reported presence.

Aprendizagem baseada em Jogos Digitais Entrevistas com professores que utilizam jogos digitais em suas pr��ticas educativas

In contrast to other media like TV or cinema, digital games are unique and different because they offer a persuasive rhetoric. This investigation introduces the cases of two primary school teachers who use digital games as one of their teaching methods. Both cases are multimodal and show the teacher���s position in education. This work also explores the challenges faced by teachers as instructors, and the application of digital games in modern classes.From an ethnographic view, gathering information techniques are used, such as documentary analysis and interviews in order to collect data about each case with two teachers from the province of Barcelona. The obtained results raise important questions: what is the main role of a teacher using digital games in class, how teachers participate in learning based on digital games and how digital games are developed and combined with other teaching methodologies. The conclusions obtained by this research let us understand the reason why using digital games in class allows the students to learn and keep their motivation: digital games stimulate them so they can establish a personal connection.