Fostering computational thinking skills with a tangible blocks programming environment

Computational Thinking has recently returned into the limelight as an essential skill to have for both the general public and disciplines outside Computer Science. It encapsulates those thinking skills integral to solving complex problems using a computer, thus widely applicable in our technological society. Several public initiatives such as the Hour of Code successfully introduced it to millions of people of different ages and backgrounds, mostly using Blocks Programming Environments like Scratch that lower the barriers of programming and facilitate learning. In this paper we present our arguments for fostering Computational Thinking skills using a Blocks Programming Environment augmented with a Tangible User Interface, namely by exploiting objects whose interactions with the physical environment are mapped to digital actions performed on the system. Our demonstration includes a working prototype implementing our Tangible Blocks Programming Environment called TAPAS

Shader programming for computational arts and design: A comparison between creative coding frameworks

We describe an Application Program Interface (API) that facilitates the use of GLSL shaders in computational design, interactive arts, and data visualization. This API was first introduced in the version 2.0 of Processing, a programming language and environment widely used for teaching and production in the context of media arts and design, and has been recently completed in the 3.0 release. It aims to incorporate low-level shading programming into code-based design, by integrating traditional models of graphics programming with more expressive approaches afforded by the penGL pipeline on modern GPUs. We contrast Processing's shader API with similar interfaces available in other frameworks used in computational arts and design, in order to better understand its advantages and shortcomings.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog

Computational Thinking in Children: The Impact of Embodiment on Debugging Practices in Programming

Three studies were conducted to better inform how instructional design of educational programming for children impacts learning. In these studies, we focused on how unplugged debugging activities, which require correction of coding errors, affect skills related to computational thinking and personal attributes of children. Study 1 observed debugging performance across varying degrees of embodiment (full and low) with a control group. To identify and rectify coding errors, children in the full embodiment group walked on a floor maze whereas low embodiment group manipulated a paper character using their fingers. Study 2 examined the effects of different degrees of embodiment when combined with either coding or narrative based language on computational thinking and self-efficacy. Children fixed coding errors on a worksheet using coding language or narratives, then performed their revised code using full or low embodiment. Study 3 explored whether congruent or incongruent hand gestures incorporated with either direct or surrogate embodiment enhanced children’s graphic and text programming, self-efficacy, and persistence. In the congruent gesture group, participants placed coding blocks in the same direction that the programming character moves whereas incongruent gesture placed coding blocks in a linear fashion. Direct embodiment is where the participant uses their finger to move a character whereas surrogate embodiment is where the researcher is controlled by the participant through verbal commands. The results on computational thinking skills were: 1) Children performed better in debugging and problem solving using low embodiment; 2) Programming efficiency increased with the use of coding language; 3) Higher performance on graphic programming was found with incongruent gesture while transfer from graphic to text programming improved with surrogate embodiment. In personal attributes: 1) Significant interaction effect was found between hand gesture and embodiment on self-efficacy; 2) Higher persistence was exhibited from direct embodiment. These findings between embodiment and development of computational thinking skills and personal attributes may be utilized in the unplugged learning environment. This is particularly relevant in supporting students to acquire basic computational thinking skills where relevant technology resources are not available