Exploring Computing Tools by Modality and Materiality
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Johnson, Michael J.
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Abstract
As computer science education achieves wider recognition as a field central to success in this ever-growing technological world, the tools we have in place for teaching and learning CS deserve more scrutiny. CS educators are tasked with designing innovative curriculum, establishing their classroom environment, and gathering materials that provide an engaging and meaningful learning experience. One important consideration is the choice of computing tools students will interact with. Computing tools are materials designed to support learners in exploring computer science and developing CS expertise. These tools range from online code-learning platforms to maker programs to tangible devices, and can even include computer-independent materials. When an educator selects computing tools for students to work with, such as a video, a game, crafting materials, a computer, or even a pencil and paper, they influence the outcomes of how students learn, retain, and are evaluated on computational principles. How those influences occur depends upon a tool's modality—how the user interacts with the tool—and materiality—the material properties of the tool.
Computing tools have the potential for many diverse interactions brought by their modalities and materialities, yet CS education research has given little consideration to these differences when assessing if a tool is useful in developing learners' CS expertise. The work presented in this defense explores using computing tools in two informal learning environments for high school students: CWP 2.0 and BridgeUP STEM. I theorize that isolating and comparing these properties will yield key information on how each tool mediates relationships between learners, their objectives, and other actors in the learning environment. A deeper understanding of these relationships will contribute to more effective uses of computing tools in CS education.
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Date
2024-07-25
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Text
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Dissertation