Coding and Creativity: Reflections and Design Proposals

The aim of the chapter is to reflect on and guide the design of coding from the perspective of creativity and the development of critical thinking. The assumption is that coding is seen from a functionalist perspective: it is used to know and practice languages that allow and force a culture of market-driven schooling. Starting from presenting and discussing four different paradigms for viewing code, we will show why emancipatory and interpretive paradigms could introduce coding to develop creativity and give students the capacity to be true democratic citizens of the world. We will describe design elements of these two paradigms and the connections with a media educative point of view. Therefore, this chapter examines coding from an emancipatory perspective and uses critical thinking to reduce the risk of being controlled by the informational society

Real-Time Phase-Contrast MRI to Monitor Cervical Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid Flow Beat-by-Beat Variability

Beat-by-beat variability (BBV) rhythms are observed in both cardiovascular (CV) and intracranial (IC) compartments, yet interactions between the two are not fully understood. Real-Time Phase-Contrast (RT-PC) MRI sequence was acquired for 30 healthy volunteers at 1st cervical level on a 3T scanner. The arterial (AF), venous (VF), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow (CSFF) were computed as velocity integrals over the internal carotid artery, internal jugular vein, and CSF. AF, VF, and CSFF signals were segmented in inspiration and expiration beats, to assess the respiration influence. Systolic and diastolic BBV, and heart period series underwent autoregressive power spectral density analysis, to evaluate the low-frequency (LF, Mayer waves) and high frequency (HF, respiratory waves) components. The diastolic VF had the largest BBV. LF power was high in the diastolic AF series, poor in all CSFF series. The pulse wave analyses revealed higher mean amplitude during inspiration. Findings suggests a possible role of LF modulation of IC resistances and propagation of HF waves from VF to AF and CCSF. PC-RT-MRI could provide new insight into the interaction between CV and IC regulation and pave the way for a detailed analysis of the cerebrovascular effects of varied respiration patterns due to exercise and rehabilitation

Il coding "carta e penna"

The article analyzes a coding laboratory experience unplugged with children of 3 and 4 year olds in a Media Education perspective to develop a skill that is properly transversal already in ours brain, that is computational thinking and related problem solving

Coding and childhood between play and learning: Research on the impact of coding in the learning of 4-year-olds

We propose the results of a research that combines the educational and psychological media approach, to verify the pedagogical potential of coding and robotics in the learning processes of 4-year-old children at the cognitive and socio-relational level. The study investigated the impact of unplugged and plugged coding on the skills of spatiality, movement and prob- lem-solving skills, storage and decoding of progressively more complex indications, and single-group interaction of 51 children and three kindergartens using storytelling and the educational robot Cubetto. The work is based on the research carried out by Lee (2020) on the inclusion of coding in early childhood, the the- oretical references of Wing (2010) about computational thinking and the theoretical frameworks proposed by Bers (2020) regarding coding as a playful dimension. The data collected through the quantitative and qualitative tools of a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire to educators and a checklist of observations on children recorded the following: • an increase in children’s space, motor and information-storage/decoding skills; • a change in children’s collaborative skills when comparing the results of the plugged and unplugged coding workshops and • the impact of coding to increase children’s performance skills through narrative dimension and play

Biologically driven cut-off definition of lymphocyte ratios in metastatic breast cancer and association with exosomal subpopulations and prognosis

High neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (MLR) are respectively associated with systemic inflammation and immune suppression and have been associated with a poor outcome. Plasmatic exosomes are extracellular vesicles involved in the intercellular communication system that can exert an immunosuppressive function. Aim of this study was to investigate the interplay between the immune system and circulating exosomes in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). A threshold capable to classify patients according to MLR, NLR and PLR, was computed through a receiving operator curve analysis after propensity score matching with a series of female blood donors. Exosomes were isolated from plasma by ExoQuick solution and characterized by flow-cytometry. NLR, MLR, PLR and exosomal subpopulations potentially involved in the pre-metastatic niche were significantly different in MBC patients with respect to controls. MLR was significantly associated with number of sites at the onset of metastatic disease, while high levels of MLR and NLR were found to be associated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, exosomal subpopulations varied according to NLR, MLR, PLR and both were associated with different breast cancer subtypes and sites of distant involvement. This study highlights the nuanced role of immunity in MBC spread, progression and outcome. Moreover, they suggest potential interaction mechanisms between immunity, MBC and the metastatic niche

Coding with me: exploring the effect of coding intervention on preschoolers’ cognitive skills

In the last ten years, the topic of Computational Thinking (CT) has been gaining increasing attention from researchers in the education field. Starting from kindergarten, increasingly programming activities such as coding and educational robotics are proposed to enhance CT and some cognitive skills, such as problem- solving, spatial and reasoning skills. The most commonly used tools are the so- called tangible interfaces, such as floor-robots (e.g. Cubetto, Bee and Blue-Bot and others), through which children can interact with the object and learn playfully. Investigating the effects of CT activities on children's cognitive abilities is important to understand the impact in kindergarten and to comprehend in which developmental periods these activities might be most successful. The aim of the present study is that of evaluating the effect of a coding intervention, based on CT, through the use of the Cubetto robot, on the cognitive skills of 4-years-old children. The coding intervention included three sessions and required the manipulation of physical objects to plan and conduct a Cubetto journey. Results showed that children of the experimental group performed better than those of the control group in programming the Cubetto path after the intervention

Digital storytelling: modelli, strumenti di progettazione e pratiche

Il presente contributo vuole andare a presentare una riflessione circa il Digital Storytelling, ponendosi nella dimensione educativa/formativa.This contribution intends to present a reflection on Digital Storytelling according to an educational/training dimension

Gamification: cos’è davvero?

L'articolo approfondisce, con uno sguardo media educativo, il tema della gamification, in riferimento all'uso di elementi tipici del gioco come la meccanica, le emozioni e la strategia in contesti non ludici al fine di generare coinvolgimento e motivazione, di migliorare l'apprendimento e sviluppare la capacità di problem solving