The design of a guided research project using an educational scenario based on a visual programming environment using smart mobile devices (smartphone, tablet) aimed at creating a digital shadow play performance. It was implemented in a classroom environment as part of the festive activities of the 4th Primary School of Nea Ionia Volos “Panagiotis Katsirelos” to celebrate the 200 years since the Greek Revolution. Moreover, the digital work that emerged was presented at the 10th Digital Creation Festival (Volos, Magnesia junction). The guided research project was approached interdisciplinary with the collaboration of teachers of Informatics, Theatrical Education, and general education teachers. The educational scenario was addressed to the 6th-grade primary school students. The students were already familiar with internet applications, ICT tools, and Scratch, a visual programming environment. The students used three smart mobile devices to create the final digital artifact with Scratch’s visual programming environment due to special learning conditions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The present study attempts to categorize the programming styles of sequential, parallel, and event-driven programming using as criterion, the level of adoption of the structured programming design techniques. These techniques are modularity, hierarchical design, shared code, and parametrization. Applying these techniques to the Scratch programming environment results in a two-dimensional table of representative code. In this table, one dimension is the types of the aforementioned programming styles and the other is the characteristics of structured programming. The calibration of each of the dimensions has been held with the help of the levels of the SOLO taxonomy. This table can develop criteria for evaluating the quality characteristics of codes produced by students in a broader grading system.

The present article aims to underline the role of multimodal educational material in STEM Integrated early childhood education. Through social semiotics assumption that meaning arises in action and interaction, we argue that robotics, digital media, haptic materials, toys, books, tablets, actions, and artifacts have an active and dynamic role in multimodal learning and construct meaning in young children's STEM educational process. The literature review has revealed a research gap concerning combined multimodal aspects in STEM concepts for young children. We adopted a mixed-method collective case study design based on four case studies in which children interact with multimodal STEM educational material. Due to the principles for effective STEM teaching and the perspectives of integrated STEM education, our findings illustrate that MmEM in STEM concepts, through play-based, model-based, inquiry-based teaching practices (among other open-ended), may provide to children multimodal learning environments, engage them in authentic and meaningful learning, promote teamwork, communication and social skills, challenge and motivate them to make meaning of their learning.

This paper will refer to STEAM education, focusing first on clarifying the STEAM acronym and then on the principles on which this methodology is based. Suggested pedagogical practices that can be adopted to integrate STEAM education in the educational program will be presented, followed by a reference to the interdisciplinary approach of educational robotics and its introduction in kindergarten. The research part of this paper will include a survey conducted in kindergartens of Primary Education in the Third District of Athens. The research aimed to explore perceptions, possibilities, and limitations expressed by preschool teachers regarding STEAM methodology and the introduction of Educational Robotics in kindergarten. This research highlighted the need to implement innovative approaches and ensure teacher training, which should be strengthened and upgraded by incorporating STEAM pedagogy and new practices for teaching and learning.

The interest in the future configuration, focusing on the innovative technologies and more specifically on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math), is remarkably increased. The value of STEAM education is undeniable as a means of developing basic skills and competencies of young students improving the learning process, developing communication skills, and solving real-life difficulties. The current research study was completed in the context of an actual learning process, with the view to study educational robotics in kindergarten students to engage them with STEAM education, using the programmable robot Bee-Bot^® initially. The didactic intervention was held, which was developed in two phases. More specifically, a sample of 12 children (age range: 5–6 years old) took part in an intensive educational robotics lab for 16 sessions (4 weeks) by using a bee-shaped robot called Bee-Bot^®. The results of our current research study revealed that STEAM education could also take place in a speech therapy clinic using the appropriate educational robots. Our young students developed and mastered knowledge in programming and computerizing, and algorithmic thinking with playful mod using educational robots, and they also built their vocabulary and develop communication skills.

In the present study, we tried to find possible obstacles that Primary and Secondary education teachers face when managing Digital Learning Objects (DLOs) and/or Digital Simulation Tools (DST) in Science. One hundred seventy-six teachers from all over Greece answered the questionnaire. The results showed that the main reason for refusing to deal with DLOs and DSTs is the technological equipment. Also, the lack of adequate training level B 'results in about 25% of teachers not knowing the DSTs and 30% not knowing the DLOs. Factors such as the teaching experience, the specialty, the Pan-Hellenic examinations, the classes they teach, and the number of students they have per class negatively affect the teachers' attitude to get involved with the DLOs the DSTs. Finally, the negative attitude seems to be related to the lack of trust in the curriculum content as teachers prefer to search DLOs and DSTs on the internet connection. Further research with mixed methods of analysis would help to obtain satisfactory results.

This article describes distance teacher training for educational robotics' pedagogical use, e.g., the planning, the implementation, and the evaluation by the teachers involved. The training seminars were organized as part of the Greek eTwinning community's seminars. They were based on a Teacher Practice Community of the South Aegean about using ICT in teaching practice. From 2018 we have included seminars on educational robotics. There is a growing interest in the use of educational robotics in teaching practice. Although the topic is such that face-to-face contact and experimentation with the subject is considered necessary, we tried to educate teachers using remote learning methodology. The project was successful, and the evaluation of the seminars was very positive.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, abbreviated as STEM, is a promising field with increasing popularity due to its benefits in the modern world of globalization and modernization. Science and mathematics are the basics of the technological developments going on in the world. Thus, the children should be motivated to learn STEM from early school days. The minds of small kids are like a sponge, and they can grasp everything quickly. STEM education should be encouraged from childhood so that children like it and continue with it for higher education. This chapter discusses some of the challenges observed while encouraging children to learn STEM early and lists solutions.

The domain of education has taken great leaps by capitalizing on technology and the utilization of modern devices. Nowadays, the established term "one size fits all" has begun to fade. The research focuses on personalized solutions to provide a specially designed environment on the needs and requirements of the learner. The adaptive platforms usually use Learning Styles to offer a more effective learning experience. This review analyzes the learner model, adaptation module, and domain module, originating from the study of 42 papers published from 2015 to 2020. As more modern techniques for adaptation get incorporated into e-learning systems, such techniques must be compliant with educational theories.  This review aims to present the theoretical and technological background of Adaptive E-learning Systems while emphasizing the importance and efficiency of the utilization of Learning Styles in the adaptive learning process. This literature review is designated for the researchers in this field and the future creators and developers of adaptive platforms.