At the end of September, the Portuguese coastal town of Póvoa de Varzim became the centre of European collaboration dedicated to bringing innovative informatics education into schools. Partners of the Digital First Network project, representing 15 organisations from 11 countries, gathered on 29 and 30 September 2025 for a two-day meeting marking the start of a key project phase: school piloting. The meeting was hosted by CFAE Póvoa de Varzim e Vila do Conde and Escola Secundária Rocha Peixoto, who provided participants with a warm welcome, inspiring environment, and excellent conditions for work and cooperation.
From ideas to classrooms
After two years of research, co-design, and development of new approaches to teaching informatics, Digital First is now moving from planning to practice. During the meeting, partners discussed the organisation and implementation of the piloting phase, which will take place in schools across Europe. Throughout this phase, teachers and students will have the opportunity to test new teaching materials and methodologies developed within the project.
The first day focused on reviewing the progress achieved so far, from dialogue clubs led by Partners in Learning and the Informatics Teachers’ Competence Catalogue developed by the Faculty of Education – University of Ljubljana, to the teacher training materials prepared by CFAE Póvoa de Varzim e Vila do Conde for the upcoming training sessions. Dynamic discussions and joint planning sessions helped identify key priorities and challenges for the piloting phase ahead. The meeting was held in a hybrid format, enabling active participation of all consortium members through interactive digital tools, including those joining remotely.
A host school as a model of good practice
Between agenda sessions, partners had the opportunity to visit Escola Secundária Rocha Peixoto, a school that offers a wide range of vocational programmes and helps students develop practical, career-relevant skills alongside numerous sports and extracurricular activities.
Focus on teachers and digital competences
The second day of the meeting was dedicated to preparing for teacher training sessions, which will take place during the winter months in all partner countries under the coordination of the University of A Coruña.
Through interactive workshops, partners tested training scenarios designed to help teachers prepare for implementing new methods and digital tools in informatics education. The discussions also addressed partner responsibilities related to Learning Analytics, led by the University of Turku, and plans for monitoring student progress during the piloting phase. In the communication segment of the project, coordinated by All Digital, partners agreed on new dissemination strategies to ensure project results reach a wider community of educators and schools.
To close the meeting, representatives of Algebra University, the project coordinator, summarised key conclusions, presented project management updates, evaluated meeting satisfaction, and reminded partners of upcoming deadlines and deliverables.
Together towards the future of digital education
The meeting in Portugal marked an important transition from the research phase to real-world implementation. In the coming months, project teams will collaborate with teachers and students to test newly developed materials and teaching approaches in real classrooms.
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