Escola n°10 & Escola n°16, Coimbra

Secundino Correia CNOTINFOR secundino@cnotinfor.pt

Two primary schools in Coimbra, Portugal are involved in the Playground Project: eight children age 7 and one teacher from Escola n°10, and eight children aged 8 and two teachers from Escola n°16.

Until recently neither of these schools had any computer equipment at all. Now computers have been provided for children in the Playground project and more will be funded next year by the Programme of Information and Communication Tech-nologies in Education. Access to the Internet is also scheduled for both schools for the year 2000.

The director of Escola n°16 told us that despite the school’s need for more technological equipment, they are very much open to innovation and interested in all aspects of learning. Although the Playground project involves only a small number of pupils, the message is getting across to the rest of the school.

João Nuno, from Escola n°10, says:

“I am eight years old. I’m in third grade and I adore football. For me playing means having fun and being challenged, alone or with others. I play computer games and board games, like brainteasers. I am in the Playground project to teach new games to other children in other countries. I have already learned how to work with MegaLogo, how to draw, and how to give orders to the turtle.

Playground web site: www.ioe.ac.uk/playground/index.html