Information technologies and the development of professional knowledge and identity in teacher education

This paper addresses the preparation in ICT of preservice mathematics teachers. We describe the aims, assumptions, and work carried out in a course offered at the University of Lisbon and briefly discuss the processes involved in the development of professional knowledge and the formation of professional identities. Using a qualitative methodology, based on the administration of free-response questionnaires to the student teachers enrolled in the course in 1999-2000, we analyze their general perspectives about ICT, the implications of the use of ICT in their view of teaching methodologies, and their development of a professional identity. This work provides suggestions for teacher education practice and for further research

Competitividade de Destinos Turísticos: um Modelo de Aplicação para o sul de Portugal versus as regiões Mediterrânicas de Espanha: COMPETITIVTOUR

Tourism destination competitiveness analysis benefits from a growing number of theoretical and applied developments. To support competitiveness strategies and despite the paraphernalia of competitiveness indexes available, there is not just a single set of indicators that can be used for all destinations at all times. The COMPETITIVTOUR model, developed since 2009 is applied to the south of Portugal versus the Mediterranean regions of Spain, a geographical area that aggregates 14 provinces, 20.2 million inhabitants and 180.1 million overnight stays. COMPETITIVTOUR's objective is to create and apply a territorial assessment model, adapted to the common specificities of these regions, aiming to assist in guiding the complex task of destination competiveness management, with inputs from 25 official producers of information from Portugal and Spain. The outputs are aggregated in three main topics: territory management, markets, and resources&products. Critical areas were identified, with emphasis on the growing seasonality of demand, the market demand and supply adjustment and accommodation prices.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Local communities and sport activities expenditures and image: residents’ role in sustainable tourism and recreation

The practice of sports by resident communities is a tool for healthy lifestyles, inclusive growth and the promotion of sustainable cities. Nevertheless, the relationship between sport, tourism and recreation still remain an under researched theme. Focusing on the economic pillar of sustainability, this study intends to quantify and analyse the economic costs incurred by families in formal and informal sport practices, as well as the contribution of these activities and related events to the territory's image projection and attractiveness, by overlapping resident's and visitor's perception of sports in the destination. Applied to the municipality of Guimaraes (Portugal), this analysis of the sports consumer's behaviour contributes to filling the gap of knowledge resulting from the studies that, as a rule, exclusively evaluate the investments (supply) and/or the expenses (demand) of events and not the regular practice of sport. A total of 179 questionnaires were applied to residents throughout 2017, through the self-administrate questionnaire method. Findings reveal that residents see sports as one of the factors contributing to the identity of the municipality, underlying motivations for participation as the search for happiness, health, wellbeing, and fun. Expenditures generate multiplier effects in the local economy, allowing to compare growth scenarios. This analysis is a scientific instrument to support territorial innovation and the decision at the local level of public policies for sustainable development, in agreement with objective eight of sustainability defined by the United Nations.Funding Agency Municipality of Guimaraes/Sports Studies Centre of Guimaraesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio