A cat, a king and a A cat, a king and a robot: robot:
programming with programming with blocksblocks
A. BarberoIIS “G. Vallauri” – Fossano (CN) - Italy
MEDEAnet WEBinar
The approach to Informatics in Italian secondary schools is being reshaped after the Reform of 2010. The new framework allows the introduction of computer logic and basic programming concepts beginning in the first and second grades.
Basic skills
Problem solving Concept of algorithm and its representation
step by step Programming foundations
Scratch S4AApp Inventor
New toolsNew tools
Informatics: Informatics: more dignity than in the more dignity than in the pastpast
Not only ECDL
BUT
Now what?
Programming from “ “Programming from “ “Visual programming language developed in 2007 by a team lead
by Mitchel Resnick - Lifelong Kindergarten Group of M.I.T.
MediaLab
GoalGoalScratch suits the curriculum that teachers sought because it was specifically created for introducing the basic concepts of problem solving and programming to young and inexperienced students variables and lists conditional structure iterative structure managing concurrent
processes communication with
messages event paradigm animations free software web 2.0
FeaturesFeatures
Scratch 2.0 Web-Based Scratch 2.0 Web-Based IDEIDE
Sequential structureSequential structure“think of a number…”
Conditional structureConditional structure
“what kind of triangle is this?”
Iterative structureIterative structure“guess a secret number”
Inter-process Inter-process communicationcommunication
“cane Bau e gatto Miao”
Cat spriteCat sprite
Dog Dog spritesprite
Scratch Day is an initiative launched by the creators of Scratch in order to bring together from all over the world Scratch enthusiasts with initiatives, meetings and round tables. In 2014, 186 events were organized in 46 countries around the world.
Scratch Day worldwideScratch Day worldwide
2014
VallauriVallauri Day Day
The Vallauri Institute organized during "Scratch Day 2011" the first “Vallauri Scratch Day” contest held within the school for students in the introductory classes of the technology sector with the aim of promoting the study of computer programming by rewarding the best projects developed using Scratch.
VallauriVallauri Day Day
The first “Vallauri Scratch Day” contest
May 21, 2011
Italian Scratch FestivalItalian Scratch Festival2014 Edition
32 high schools from all over Italy
Italian Scratch FestivalItalian Scratch FestivalEvaluation criteria:
1. technical quality: the application uses sophisticated technical tricks or ingenious solutions?
2. usability: the application is friendly and uses an intuitive interface? Is it fun to play with?
3. originality: the application is innovative? It proposes a classic in a new look?
4. aesthetic quality: the style and design are well prepared? The proposal is attractive and pleasant to see and use?
Italian Scratch FestivalItalian Scratch Festival
2012 First Edition2012 First Edition24 high schools from all over Italy
Aurora
ArenaSpaceBattle
Scratch for Arduino Scratch for Arduino (S4A)(S4A)
Free software developed
by Smalltalk Programming
Group of Citilab in
Barcelona New blocks that allow you
to program an Arduino
sprite to manage sensors
and actuatorsThanks to Picoboard
protocol, a firmware
installed on Arduino, S4A
can interact with sensors
and actuators.
Tinker Kit: Tinker Kit: simplifies simplifies the connection of the connection of
devicesdevices
Arduino: microcontroller Arduino: microcontroller boardboard
A Tinkerkit shield A Tinkerkit shield with various other with various other
componentscomponents
The “LED On and Off” S4A programThe “LED On and Off” S4A program
HardwarHardwaree
StagStagee
ScriptScript
ArduinoArduinoSpriteSprite
Tool developed by Google and currently managed
by MIT Media Lab
Web-based IDE
Programming Android mobile devices (tablet &
smartphone)
Blocks programming (stack & puzzle) with an
approach similar to Scratch
Managing of main sensors offered by the world of
mobile devices
OOP (components with propierties, methods and
events)
App Inventor web-based IDE App Inventor web-based IDE
DesignerBlocks EditorAndroid
Emulator
“Tic-Tac-ToeTic-Tac-Toe” App App
Designer
Blocks Editor and EmulatorBlocks Editor and Emulator
The projectThe project K Kiiddss@@PPllaayyIn March 2013, consultation between Prof. Alberto Barbero, CS professor at Vallauri Technical Institute in Fossano (Italy), and the special needs educator at the Childrens’ Neuro Psychiatric Department at the local hospital, resulted in a project for four second year students to design applications for smartphone and Android tablets. These applications are still used by disabled children who are cared for by the educators at the N.P.I - Fossano.
The final resultThe final resultThe end product was a series of four applications and a video presentation of the making of the apps (see www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIznlx_ztWg).The students focused on developing games in four categories: puzzle, memory, color and guessing, all with different levels of difficulty. The apps were made with characters from cartoons familiar to children. The apps are used to entertain the disabled children in an educational and recreational way.
The app: Color the The app: Color the charactercharacterColora il personaggio – Andrea ABBATE
The app: MemoryThe app: Memory
Memory – Vlad ALAZAROEI
The app: Guess the The app: Guess the charactercharacterIndovina il personaggio – Claudio BERTAN
The app: Cartoon The app: Cartoon puzzlepuzzleCartoon puzzle – Andrei GINJU
ConclusionsConclusionsThe study of App Inventor in the
second year is a winning choice.Increased student motivation in
learning basic programming apps for Android devices.
Motivation that makes students - even teenagers - aware that they have already acquired operational capabilities to be spent in designing and making software tools.
ConclusionsConclusionsNot just mere scholastic exercises
with the principal aim of "learning learning somethingsomething" but to "do somethingdo something" that can be used to help someone else.
A change in the way of teaching that makes the students the real protagonists of their own education process.
GRAZIE PER L’ATTENZIONE