4,043 research outputs found
Pirate plunder: game-based computational thinking using scratch blocks
Policy makers worldwide argue that children should be taught how technology works, and that the ‘computational thinking’ skills developed through programming are useful in a wider context. This is causing an increased focus on computer science in primary and secondary education.
Block-based programming tools, like Scratch, have become ubiquitous in primary education (5 to 11-years-old) throughout the UK. However, Scratch users often struggle to detect and correct ‘code smells’ (bad programming practices) such as duplicated blocks and large scripts, which can lead to programs that are difficult to understand. These ‘smells’ are caused by a lack of abstraction and decomposition in programs; skills that play a key role in computational thinking. In Scratch, repeats (loops), custom blocks (procedures) and clones (instances) can be used to correct these smells. Yet, custom blocks and clones are rarely taught to children under 11-years-old.
We describe the design of a novel educational block-based programming game, Pirate Plunder, which aims to teach these skills to children aged 9-11. Players use Scratch blocks to navigate around a grid, collect items and interact with obstacles. Blocks are explained in ‘tutorials’; the player then completes a series of ‘challenges’ before attempting the next tutorial. A set of Scratch blocks, including repeats, custom blocks and clones, are introduced in a linear difficulty progression. There are two versions of Pirate Plunder; one that uses a debugging-first approach, where the player is given a program that is incomplete or incorrect, and one where each level begins with an empty program.
The game design has been developed through iterative playtesting. The observations made during this process have influenced key design decisions such as Scratch integration, difficulty progression and reward system. In future, we will evaluate Pirate Plunder against a traditional Scratch curriculum and compare the debugging-first and non-debugging versions in a series of studies
Oceans of Tomorrow sensor interoperability for in-situ ocean monitoring
The Oceans of Tomorrow (OoT) projects,
funded by the European Commission’s FP7 program, are
developing a new generation of sensors supporting physical,
biogeochemical and biological oceanographic monitoring.
The sensors range from acoustic to optical fluorometers to
labs on a chip. The result is that the outputs are diverse in a
variety of formats and communication methodologies. The
interfaces with platforms such as floats, gliders and cable
observatories are each different. Thus, sensorPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
The bi-embeddability relation for finitely generated groups II
We study the isomorphism and bi-embeddability relations on the spaces of Kazhdan groups and finitely generated simple groups
Towards a standardised line list for G191-B2B, and other DA type objects
We present a comprehensive analysis of the far UV spectrum of G191-B2B over
the range of 900-1700{\AA} using co-added data from the FUSE and STIS archives.
While previous identifications made by Holberg et al. (2003) are reaffirmed in
this work, it is found that many previously unidentified lines can now be
attributed to Fe, Ni, and a few lighter metals. Future work includes extending
this detailed analysis to a wider range of DA objects, in the expectation that
a more complete analysis of their atmospheres can be realised.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, 1 table: To appear in the proceedings of the
"18th European White Dwarf Workshop" in Krakow, Poland, 201
An exploration of the role of visual programming tools in the development of young children’s computational thinking
Programming tools are being used in education to teach computer science to children as young as 5 years old. This research aims to explore young children’s approaches to programming in two tools with contrasting programming interfaces, ScratchJr and Lightbot, and considers the impact of programming approaches on developing computational thinking. A study was conducted using two versions of a Lightbot-style game, either using a ScratchJr-like or Lightbot style programming interface. A test of non-verbal reasoning was used to perform a matched assignment of 40, 6 and 7-year-olds to the two conditions. Each child then played their version of the game for 30 minutes. The results showed that both groups had similar overall performance, but as expected, the children using the ScratchJr-like interface performed more program manipulation or ‘tinkering’. The most interesting finding was that non-verbal reasoning was a predictor of program manipulation, but only for the ScratchJr-like condition. Children approached the ScratchJr-like program differently depending on prior ability. More research is required to establish how children use programming tools and how these approaches influence computational thinking
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ECOSENSUS: developing collaborative learning systems for stakeholding development in environmental planning
ECOSENSUS *(Electronic/Ecological Collaborative Sensemaking Support System) investigates the socio-technological issues around developing collaboration tools for participatory environmental decision making amongst (a) marginalised natural resource users, (b) professional 'experts' from different countries, and (c) key decision makers associated with managing ecosystems. An integral activity is the production of open content learning resources to support stakeholders in facilitating distributed environmental decision making. This involves the integrated use of three open source software tools: Moodle (online course management), Compendium (dialogue mapping) and uDig (user friendly desktop/internet GIS). In the first ECOSENSUS-1 phase, the pilot collaborative effort has been focused on supporting stakeholders in developing adaptive management plans for the Rupununi Wetlands in southern Guyana, a region rich in flora and fauna but also under intense pressure to expand the exploitation of its natural resources, including timber, gold, and commercially viable fish species. Results of the ECOSENSUS-1 are briefly described along with some preliminary notes on the current ECOSENUS-2 phase of associated research in Guyana supported by an additional grant from DEFRA. The paper prompts questions on how ECOSENSUS can feed into wider open source course development using the LabSpace on the OpenLearn project
Predicting whether users view dynamic content on the world wide web
Dynamic micro-content—interactive or updating widgets and features—is now widely used on the Web, but there is little understanding of how people allocate attention to it. In this paper we present the results of an eye tracking investigation examining how the nature of dynamic micro-content influences whether or not the user views it. We propose and validate the Dynamic Update Viewing-likelihood (DUV) model, a Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detector (CHAID) model that predicts with around 80 % accuracy whether users view dynamic updates as a function of how they are initiated, their size and their duration. The model is constructed with data from live websites and does not rely on knowledge of the user’s task to make its predictions, giving it a high-level of external validity. We discuss one example of its application: informing how dynamic content should be presented in audio via assistive technology for people with visual impairments
Missouri County Sales Tax Act : its impact on nonmetropolitan counties
In 1979, Missouri property taxpayers paid a total of $1.15 billion in property taxes to local governments. Legislation passed in the 1979 General Assembly may provide a means of substituting sales tax revenues for a portion of the property tax burden. This guide outlines the County Sales Tax Act and provides a means for evaluating the impact of this act on county residents and property taxes.Reviewed October 1993
Notes on the reproductive biology of the Greater Green Snake, Cyclophiops major (Günther, 1858), in Taiwan
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