Tangible computer programming: exploring the use of emerging technology in classrooms and science museums

Abstract

In considering ways to improve the use of digital technology in educational settings, it is helpful to look beyond desktop computers and conventional modes of interaction and consider the flood of emerging technologies that already play a prominent role in the everyday lives of children. In this dissertation, I will present a research project that builds on tangible user interface (TUI) technology to support computer programming and robotics activities in education settings. In particular, I will describe the design and implementation of a novel tangible computer programming language called Tern. I will also describe an evaluation of Tern's use in both formal and informal educational settings–as part of an interactive exhibit on robotics and computer programming called Robot Park on display at the Boston Museum of Science; and as part of a curriculum unit piloted in several kindergarten classrooms in the greater Boston area. In both cases, Tern allows children to create simple computer programs to control a robot. However, rather than using a keyboard or mouse to write programs on a computer screen, children instead use Tern to construct physical algorithmic structures using a collection of interlocking wooden blocks. The goal of this work is not to propose that tangible programming languages are general purpose tools that should replace existing graphical programming languages; rather, I will present evidence to support the argument that tangible programming begins to make sense when one considers the contexts and constraints of specific educational settings. Moreover, in these settings tangible languages can compensate for some of the shortcomings of graphical and text-based systems that have limited their use.