The teaching and learning process can be enhanced by Information and Communication Technologies which became a priority in the education process. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have the ability to deal with space and time information allowing, for example, to deeply understand location, relations or patterns. Geospatial technologies have seen an unprecedented growth in the last decade. Indeed fewer basic education schools are using them to promote spatial or technological skills. This text/research aims to discuss employability skills, attitudes and behaviours of 36 ten years old students coming from unstructured families of a deprived territory. The authors explore a practical example of the application of GIS in the teaching/learning process of primary education students.Simultaneously, the authors demonstrate the potential of those technologies to enlarge interdisciplinary analysis.

Recent developments in computer and internet technology have resulted in many education reforms. Classrooms have been equipped to allow technological advances. Yet these rapid technological developments have not been accompanied by teachers' education. The migration of teachers' traditional resources to "digital" students is not always achieved. In this context, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is powerful technology to enhance the teaching and learning of several subjects, promotion of interdisciplinary approaches, and combination of research and online maps to motivate students to learn. In this article, Portugal's territory GIS education context is analysed along with an experience with primary students.

This research project, carried out within the PhD in Educational Sciences, specializing in Educational Technology, is intended to deepen knowledge regarding the contributions and potential of Geographic Information Technologies (GIT) and Augmented Reality (AR) as digital tools that improve the teaching/learning process and promote the spatial thinking development of students of basic education (BE) in different learning contexts. Supported by the qualitative method, the project is based on case studies to assess the respective perceptions, usability, relevance and attractiveness of GIT and AR, both by students and teachers. With this research project, it is hoped to recognize the motivational and pedagogical value of GIT and AR as research and analysis tools that develop more complex levels of spatial thinking, as well as it is speculated that teacher training is fundamental for the recognition of the potentialities of these technologies by teachers, and for increased frequency of their integration in educational practices.

A aprendizagem suportada por Tecnologias de Informação Geográfica (TIG) e Realidade Aumentada (RA) merece atenção no campo de estudo da Educação. A investigação de base deste artigo visa compreender as potencialidades destas tecnologias na aprendizagem dos conteúdos previstos no currículo do Estudo do Meio do 1.º ciclo do Ensino Básico, em Portugal. Sustentados na metodologia de estudo de caso, os dados qualitativos foram recolhidos através da observação participante, grelhas de observação, notas de campo, trabalhos realizados pelos alunos e na realização de um focus group. Os resultados de aprendizagem, decorrentes das atividades dinamizadas, mostram que uma adequada e intencional articulação das TIG e da RA apoiam a compreensão de conceitos e dos fenómenos e favorecem a construção do conhecimento.