Discovery learning with tangible technologies: the case of children with intellectual disabilities

Intellectual disabilities cause significant sub--‐average achievement in learning, with difficulties in perception, attention, communication of ideas, language acquisition, abstraction and generalisation. From a socio--‐constructionist perspective, digital technologies can provide resources to help addressing these difficulties. Tangible technologies are considered particularly promising tools for children with intellectual disabilities, by enabling interaction through physical action and manipulation and facilitating representational concrete--‐ abstract links by integrating physical and digital worlds. However, hands--‐on learning activities remain a recommended but problematic approach for intellectually disabled students. This thesis investigates how and which characteristics of tangible interaction may support children with intellectual disabilities to productively engage in discovery learning. \ud Empirical studies were performed where children with intellectual disabilities used four tangible systems with distinct design characteristics. Four broad themes emerged from qualitative analysis which are central for identifying how to best support exploratory interaction: types of digital representations; physical affordances; representational mappings; and conceptual metaphors. Guidelines for the development of tangible artefacts and facilitation of discovery learning activities with tangibles were derived from these themes. A complementary quantitative analysis investigated the effects of external guidance in promoting episodes of discovery in tangible interaction. \ud This thesis argues that providing tangible interaction alone is not sufficient to bring significant benefits to the experience of intellectually disabled students in discovery learning. Visual digital representations, meaningful spatial configurations of physical representations, temporal and spatial contiguity between action and representations, simple causality and familiar conceptual metaphors are critical in providing informational intrinsic feedback to exploratory actions, which allied with external guidance that creates a minimal underlying structure for interaction, should establish an ideal environment for discovery. \u

The effect of representation location on interaction in a tangible learning environment

Drawing on the 'representation' TUI framework [21], this paper reports a study that investigated the concept of 'representation location' and its effect on interaction and learning. A reacTIVision-based tangible interface was designed and developed to support children learning about the behaviour of light. Children aged eleven years worked with the environment in groups of three. Findings suggest that different representation locations lend themselves to different levels of abstraction and engender different forms and levels of activity, particularly with respect to speed of dynamics and differences in group awareness. Furthermore, the studies illustrated interaction effects according to different physical correspondence metaphors used, particularly with respect to combining familiar physical objects with digital--based table-top representation. The implications of these findings for learning are discussed

An Analysis of Interaction Design in Children's Games Based on Computational Thinking

INTRODUCTION: Several digital games that aim at developing computational thinking in children have emerged in the last few years, as the importance of such ability is increasingly being recognized. Nevertheless, there are no appropriate methods to determine the quality of these games, which hinders their adoption in formal education settings. OBJECTIVES: The general goal of this research is to contribute to the development of a specific evaluation method for children's games that involve computational thinking. In this sense, the specific objective of this paper is to identify which pedagogical and technical aspects of children's interaction with this type of game are proved relevant for developing computational thinking. METHODS: An analysis of two games based on the logic of programming was performed through empirical observation of children's exploratory interaction, in the light of heuristics for interface usability, consisting thus of a combination of formative and objective evaluation. RESULTS: Analysis showed that the game's environment for experimenting with programming commands and visualizing the consequent effects was not sufficient for effective guidance, revealing the need for a human mediator. The main aspects identified as needing improvement were the forms of instruction provided to the child; the design of visual representations of commands, which embed key logical concepts; the correspondence between children's context and expectations and the games' simulated world. CONCLUSION: Results point to directions for the creation of specific parameters and adapted heuristics for evaluation of games based on programming logic for children. In particular the main open question is how to design a game so that computational thinking concepts are implicit conditions to solve challenges, making the process engaging but above all leading to the construction of complex concepts such as parameterized commands

Acessibilidade para estudantes surdos na educação à distância: uma proposta de recurso digital

Aiming at broadening effective inclusion in online learning, the main objective of this study was to investigate technological resources as teaching tools for deaf students. In the first phase of the research, a qualitative diagnosis was performed, in an online learning higher education institution in Teresina – Piauí, with questionnaires as instruments of data collection. Participants were deaf and hearing students of the Linguistics Libras course, teachers and interpreter. Among the main results, we perceived that deaf students have many difficulties in interpreting the educational materials and activities in Portuguese. Thus, we suggested, in the second phase, that the printed course material be transformed into e-books in the form of a website, with an integrated automatic Libras translator. The prototype was developed using the VLibras translator and was evaluated by the research participants, through an online questionnaire translated into Libras through videos made by the teacher-interpreter of the course. The prototype was evaluated as easy to use and very useful, strengthening its potential as an inclusion tool. However, deaf students highlighted the technical limitations of automatic translation, as compared to human interpreters. Recebido em: 04/02/2020.Aprovado em: 09/03/2020.Com vistas a ampliar a inclusão efetiva na Educação a Distância, que ainda enfrenta muitas barreiras, o principal objetivo deste estudo foi investigar os recursos tecnológicos como ferramentas pedagógicas para estudantes surdos. Na primeira fase da pesquisa, foi realizado um diagnóstico de abordagem qualitativa, em uma instituição de ensino superior a distância em Teresina – Piauí, com questionários como instrumentos de coletas de dados. Os participantes foram alunos surdos e ouvintes do curso de Letras Libras, professores e intérpretes. Entre os principais resultados, constatou-se que os alunos surdos têm muitas dificuldades na interpretação dos materiais didáticos e atividades na língua portuguesa. Sugeriu-se então, na segunda fase, a adaptação do material didático impresso do curso para e-books em forma de site, com tradutor automático para Libras integrado. Foi desenvolvido um protótipo usando o tradutor VLibras, que foi avaliado pelos participantes da pesquisa, com questionário online traduzido para Libras por meio de vídeos pelo professor-intérprete. O protótipo foi avaliado como fácil de usar e muito útil, fortalecendo o seu potencial como ferramenta de inclusão. Entretanto, os estudantes surdos alertaram para as limitações técnicas da tradução automática, em comparação com os intérpretes humanos. Recebido em: 04/02/2020.Aprovado em: 09/03/2020

Análise automática de atividades de introdução à programação com o scratch

O objetivo do presente artigo é propor visualizações automáticas de avaliações de atividades feitas no Scratch, a fim de dar suporte para os professores no acompanhamento do aprendizado dos alunos. Foram geradas visualizações gráficas a partir de atividades de programação básica realizadas no Scratch com alunos do 2º ao 5º ano do ensino fundamental. As atividades foram avaliadas automaticamente através de uma versão modificada da ferramenta Dr. Scratch, e foram geradas visualizações gráficas na ferramenta online Data Studio. Os resultados apresentam as análises das atividades, onde o professor pode visualizar o desenvolvimento do aprendizado do aluno, e analisar quais são as possíveis dificuldades apresentadas por cada aluno ou turma, e consequentemente adaptar as aulas a fim de supri-las

Integration of Computational Thinking and Educational Technologies in University Education: a clipping with the Degree Courses in Biological Sciences of the State of Pernambuco-Brazil

O pensamento computacional (PC), a partir do artigo seminal de Wing em 2006, vem crescendo bastante nos mais diversos contextos e níveis educacionais. Esse termo, por sua vez, refere-se a um método para solução de problemas que utiliza conceitos básicos da ciência da computação e que pode ser utilizado por qualquer pessoa, independentemente de ser da computação ou não. O CNE/MEC em 2019 definiu diretrizes curriculares que preveem o desenvolvimento de habilidades do PC e tecnologias digitais para professores do ensino básico, mas que ainda não parecem se refletir no currículo das licenciaturas. Partindo desse pressuposto, como principal contribuição, o presente estudo apresenta uma pesquisa documental para investigar se os cursos de licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas e Licenciatura em Biologia ativos do Estado de Pernambuco têm integrado o PC e as tecnologias digitais em seus projetos pedagógicos (PPC) e como tem sido essa integração. Para realização deste estudo, foi utilizada a plataforma e-MEC como fonte de busca dos cursos nas instituições de ensino superior em Pernambuco, para posterior busca na web dos PPCs e sua análise. O estudo evidenciou que poucos cursos disponibilizam os seus PPCs e nenhum curso contempla o PC em sua estrutura curricular ou PPC.Computational thinking, starting from the seminal article by Wing in 2006, has been growing significantly in the most diverse contexts and educational levels. This term, in turn, refers to a method for solving problems that uses basic concepts of computer science and that can be used by anyone, regardless of whether it is computing or not. In 2019, the CNE/MEC defined curriculum guidelines that provide for the development of PC skills and digital technologies for basic education teachers, but that still do not seem to be reflected in the curriculum of degrees. Based on this assumption, as a main contribution, the present study presents a documentary research to investigate whether the Licentiate Degree in Biological Sciences and Licentiate Degree in Biology courses active in the State of Pernambuco have integrated PC and digital technologies into their pedagogical projects (PPC) and How has this integration been? To carry out this study, the e-MEC platform was used as a search source for courses in higher education institutions in Pernambuco, for subsequent search on the web of PPCs and their analysis. The study showed that few courses make their PPCs available and no course includes the CP in its curricular structure or PPC

DESIGN PARTICIPATIVO DE JOGOS DIGITAIS EDUCACIONAIS POR ADOLESCENTES IMERSOS EM UMA COMUNIDADE DE PRÁTICA

Contribuindo para a investigação acerca de modelos alternativos de educação, o projeto DEMULTS estrutura-se como uma Comunidade de Prática em contextos escolares, que tem o objetivo de desenvolver jogos digitais educacionais usando métodos de Design Participativo com adolescentes. Este artigo apresenta algumas congruências entre Comunidades de Prática e Design Participativo em situações educacionais, relacionadas à aprendizagem por meio da participação ativa em práticas sociais. Nesse contexto, são também discutidos os desafios encontrados no DEMULTS relacionados aos processos de: engajamento de educadores e educandos; integração de conteúdos curriculares aos jogos; e construção de conhecimento durante o processo, tanto em termos dos conceitos científicos, quanto das ferramentas cognitivas necessárias para desenvolver jogos digitais

Inclusive computing in special needs classrooms: designing for all

With a growing call for an increased emphasis on computing in school curricula, there is a need to make computing accessible to a diversity of learners. One potential approach is to extend the use of physical toolkits, which have been found to encourage collaboration, sustained engagement and effective learning in classrooms in general. However, little is known as to whether and how these benefits can be leveraged in special needs schools, where learners have a spectrum of distinct cognitive and social needs. Here, we investigate how introducing a physical toolkit can support learning about computing concepts for special education needs (SEN) students in their classroom. By tracing how the students’ interactions—both with the physical toolkit and with each other—unfolded over time, we demonstrate how the design of both the form factor and the learning tasks embedded in a physical toolkit contribute to collaboration, comprehension and engagement when learning in mixed SEN classrooms

Tangible Representational Properties: Implications for Meaning Making

Tangible technologies are considered promising tools for learning, by enabling multimodal interaction through physical action and manipulation of physical and digital elements, thus facilitating representational concrete–abstract links. A key concept in a tangible system is that its physical components are objects of interest, with associated meanings relevant to the context. Tangible technologies are said to provide ‘natural’ mappings that employ spatial analogies and adhere to cultural standards, capitalising on people’s familiarity with the physical world. Students with intellectual disabilities particularly benefit from interaction with tangibles, given their difficulties with perception and abstraction. However, symbolic information does not always have an obvious physical equivalent, and meanings do not reside in the representations used in the artefacts themselves, but in the ways they are manipulated and interpreted. In educational contexts, meaning attached to artefacts by designers is not necessarily transparent to students, nor interpreted by them as the designer predicted. Using artefacts and understanding their significance is of utmost importance for the construction of knowledge within the learning process; hence the need to study the use of the artefacts in contexts of practice and how they are transformed by the students. This article discusses how children with intellectual disabilities conceptually interpreted the elements of four tangible artefacts, and which characteristics of these tangibles were key for productive, multimodal interaction, thus potentially guiding designers and educators. Analysis shows the importance of designing physical-digital semantic mappings that capitalise on conceptual metaphors related to children’s familiar contexts, rather than using more abstract representations. Such metaphorical connections, preferably building on physical properties, contribute to children’s comprehension and facilitate their exploration of the systems