International Journal of Child Computer Interaction This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

The art of the Wunderlich cube and the development of spatial abilities
Publication date: Available online 26 March 2018 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Victor Winter, Betty Love, Cindy Corritore This paper advocates for a future where the teaching of math and art are harmoniously intertwined as they were in the days of da Vinci. In this future, code provides the “brush” that enables the expression of artistic ideas and mathematical structures in digital and digitally-fabricated mediums. This educational idea is motivated by (1) literature supporting the position that visual thinking and spatial reasoning significantly impact STEAM disciplines, an...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - April 13, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Physical computing with plug-and-play toolkits:Key recommendations for collaborative learning implementations
Publication date: Available online 31 March 2018 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Eva-Sophie Katterfeldt, Mutlu Cukurova, Daniel Spikol, David Cuartielles Physical computing toolkits have long been used in educational contexts to learn about computational concepts by engaging in the making of interactive projects. This paper presents a comprehensive toolkit that can help educators teach programming with an emphasis on collaboration, and provides suggestions for its effective pedagogical implementation. The toolkit comprises the Talkoo kit with physical computing plug-and-play modu...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - April 13, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Constructionist visions: Hard fun with serious games
Publication date: Available online 8 April 2018 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Yasmin B. Kafai Making games is a prime example of constructionist learning, in particular in the age of digital play. Papert saw the relevance of making games for learning and literacy in terms of two powerful ideas: objects-to-think-with and hard fun. The article reviews reasons for the failure and successes of constructionist gaming over the last two decades. (Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction)
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - April 13, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Designing for learning mathematics through programming: A case study of pupils engaging with place value
We report a case study of how these activities were implemented in two primary classes. Our findings constitute a kind of existence theorem: that with carefully designed and sequenced learning activities and appropriate teacher support, this approach can allow pupils to engage with difficult mathematical ideas in new, meaningful and generalisable ways. We also point to the challenges which emerged through this process in ensuring pupils encounter these mathematical ideas. (Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction)
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - January 10, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Exploring an approach based on digital games for teaching programming concepts to young children
Publication date: Available online 3 January 2018 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Tancicleide Carina Simões Gomes, Taciana Pontual Falcão, Patrícia Cabral de Azevedo Restelli Tedesco The inclusion of programming topics in the initial grades of school gives rise to debates about the best ways to teach these contents. Programmable toys, activities with physical materials and various games are some of the resources available. Amongst those, digital games possess important elements for learning programming, such as incremental challenges, personalised immediate feedback, and visual...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - January 4, 2018 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

FUTUREGYM: A gymnasium with interactive floor projection for children with special needs
Publication date: Available online 29 December 2017 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Issey Takahashi, Mika Oki, Baptiste Bourreau, Itaru Kitahara, Kenji Suzuki Interpersonal interaction is one of the fundamental factors for successful inclusion in education for children with special needs, including children suffering from autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or intellectual disabilities (ID). In order to increase opportunities for interpersonal interactions among children, an interactive school gymnasium called FUTUREGYM, with a large-scale, interactive floor projection system in...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - December 30, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Rethinking children ’s roles in participatory design: The child as a process designer
We report on a case study in which we co-designed workshops together with 60 children aged 6 to 10 and 8 youth workers. The case study –called ‘Making Things’ –relied on a combination of methods, including participant observations, interviews, sensitising packages and participatory mapping. The reflection on the case study shows how our play perspective provided us with a way of making sense of children’s interactions with each other, adults, objects and their context. Our reflections further point to the emergence of the role of the child as a ‘process designer’. This role entails the collaboration with chil...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - December 13, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Playing Beowulf: Bridging computational thinking, arts and literature through game-making
We present a specific case – a game produced by two 14 years-old boys – within Playing Beowulf, a collaboration with the British library’s Young Researchers programme, in which students aged 13–14 from an inner-London (UK) school have developed games based on their own readings of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf during an after-school club. The game was produced using MissionMaker, a software (currently under development at UCL Knowledge Lab) that allows users to create and code their own first-person 3D games in a simple way, using pre-made 3D assets, such as rooms, props, characters and weapons and a simplified prog...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - December 9, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

TitanTutor: An educational technology solution co-designed by children from different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds
We describe the design-evaluation iterations that produced the TitanTutor system. The results show that designing with a mixed team of children has clear benefits but that there are obstacles that have to be overcome to reach successful design outcomes. (Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction)
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - December 9, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Problem-based science, a constructionist approach to science literacy in middle school
Publication date: Available online 21 November 2017 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Christa Flores This paper describes a four-year observation using a model designed and tested in a middle school maker space, called problem-based science (PbS). PbS was used as the primary model for a middle school science curriculum adapted by the tools and mindsets of the maker movement. PbS is learning through inventing and problem solving — while using the latest in fabrication technology, like 3D printers and laser cutters, as well as more traditional making skills, like electronics, robotics...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - December 9, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Co-designing with children a collaborative augmented reality book based on a primary school textbook
Publication date: Available online 23 November 2017 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Haifa Alhumaidan, Kathy Pui Ying Lo, Andrew Selby Augmented Reality (AR) 1 1 Augmented Reality. has been proven to support collaboration when used in different contexts. AR Books have been developed for children in different contexts including entertainment and education. However, the involvement of children in designing AR Books based on the actual school textbooks has not been covered previously. This paper presents co-design process of involving primary school children in the design and evalua...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - December 9, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

A perceptual and behavioral analysis of facial cues to deception in interactions between children and a virtual agent
This study focused on the facial expressions that children exhibit while trying to deceive a virtual agent. An interactive lie elicitation game was developed to record children’s facial expressions during deceptive and truthful utterances. Our participants did this task either alone or in the presence of peers. A manual method and an automatic recognition approach were used to examine facial expressions and facial action units (AUs). Results show that the facial expressions of deceivers differ from those of truth-tellers: most clearly, they try to cover their lie as they smile significantly more often than truthful child...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - November 14, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Prototyping a designerly learning through authentic making activities in elementary classrooms
Publication date: Available online 14 November 2017 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Pauline Gourlet, Françoise Decortis During six months in a French elementary classroom with pupils aged 6-7 years old, we have looked for ways to progressively transform an instructional classroom environment. Our aim was to develop a sustainable designerly learning through authentic making activities. In this article, we describe the history of this attempt along with our motivations, with an instrumental approach, i.e., through a description of the activities mediated by the artifacts we have pro...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - November 14, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Future designers: Introducing creativity, design thinking & amp; design to children
Publication date: Available online 6 November 2017 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Dimitris Grammenos, Margherita Antona ‘Future Designers’ is an interactive and participative crash course that aims to introduce to children the concepts and practice of creativity, design, and design thinking. The course targets multiple learning styles and intelligences, combining various learning approaches and tools, including lecturing (using a variety of media such as images, videos and music), creative question & answer, constructive –personal and collaborative –hands-on activi...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - November 8, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research

Makerspace in school —Considerations from a large-scale national testbed
Publication date: Available online 31 October 2017 Source:International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction Author(s): Eva Eriksson, Carl Heath, Peter Ljungstrand, Peter Parnes Digital fabrication and making has received a growing interest in formal and informal learning environments. However, many of these initiatives often start from a grassroots perspective, with little coordination on a national level. This paper illustrates and discusses a study from an ongoing large-scale national testbed in Sweden named Makerspace in schools (Makerskola). The project embodies a series of considerations that arise when a make...
Source: International Journal of Child Computer Interaction - November 1, 2017 Category: Child Development Source Type: research