Moving Beyond Syntax: Lessons from 20 Years of Blocks Programing in AgentSheets

Repenning, Alexander

doi:10.18293/vlss2017-010

Cited by 55 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…A play lens allows us to see how imaginative action afforded young people opportunities to participate in, contribute to, and transform everyday sites and activities with various cultural tools. In particular, we are interested here in how digital tools such as Agentsheets (Repenning, 2017) and YouTube tutorials contributed to systems of play activity by helping youth create "microworlds" in which they could assume more authoritative positions and how practices around these tools traveled across everyday settings to deepen learning (Griffin & Cole, 1984, p. 53 Fig. 2.…”

Section: Play As a Leading Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We explore how Simon's engagement with a video game simulation authoring tool, Agentsheets (Many Horses, 2016;Repenning, 2017), allowed him to create a microworld where he could play with the rules and roles associated with various aspects of the game. We also pay attention to the interconnectedness of the learning ecologies, tools, and activities that Simon engaged as he learned the intricacies of video game design through his movement within and across multiple spaces.…”

Section: Video Game Play As a Leading Activity In A Connected Learninmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agentsheets is a program organized around play that makes computer programming accessible to younger learners (Many Horses, 2016;Repenning, 2017). At EPM, children engaged with this software as part of a "Make your own game" activity in which they were instructed to (a) design a game using a planning document, (b) create the designed game using Agentsheets, and (c) test out their game with other people (Many Horses, 2016).…”

Section: Video Game Play As a Leading Activity In A Connected Learninmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Learning as Movement in Social Design-Based Experiments: Play as a Leading Activity

et al. 2019

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This article addresses an approach to design-based research informed by cultural historical activity theory and ecological approaches to inquiry in which historicity, prolepsis, remediation, diversity and equity, transformability, resilience, and sustainability are organizing design principles. Social design-based experiments seek to co-design learning ecologies in which learning is made equitable and consequential for youth from nondominant communities. In this article, we focus on the ways the design of El Pueblo Mágico, an after-school STEAM-oriented 5th Dimension program, involved saturating the environment with new tools and forms of assistance and privileged intergenerational learning to engage youth and their university amigxs in new technology-mediated practices. In particular, we examine how designing around the leading activity of play opened up opportunities for youth to engage in consequential forms of learning across El Pueblo Mágico and home practices, as well as how digital tools and practices traveled and mediated new learning for young learners.

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Section: Play As a Leading Activitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Video Game Play As a Leading Activity In A Connected Learninmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Video Game Play As a Leading Activity In A Connected Learninmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Learning as Movement in Social Design-Based Experiments: Play as a Leading Activity

et al. 2019

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“…However, using professional programming languages like Java can be extremely difficult for secondary students due to complex syntax. It may be preferable to use visual programming languages (Lye & Koh, 2014;Repenning, 2017). Scratch, developed by the MIT Media lab (https://scratch.mit.edu), is such a visual programming language and is freely available in a German version.…”

Section: Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring Computational Thinking - Adapting a Performance Test and a Self-Assessment Instrument for German-Speaking Countries

Guggemos¹,

Seufert²,

González³

2019

Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age (CELDA 2019)

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Far-reaching technological changes are shaping our society and the ways in which we work. A key 21 st-century skill for taking advantage of those changes may be computational thinking (CT). CT aims at enabling humans to carry out more effective problem solving by utilizing concepts of computing and computer technology. For a successful integration of CT into curricula, however, it is important to take assessment into account. We review two instruments that capture CT: the Computational Thinkig Test (CTt), a performance test, and the Computational Thinking Scales (CTS), that relies on self-assessment. We have adapted both instruments from English to German. Using a sample of 202 upper-secondary students from Switzerland, we provide further evidence on the validity of both instruments. To this end, we apply item response theory and confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, we evaluate the relationship between CTt and CTS. Both instruments show good properties and may be suitable for assessing CT in German-speaking countries at the secondary level.

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“…Im Rahmen seiner Verwendung als primäres CT-Tool zur Umsetzung des SGD-Curriculums wurde konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass sich AgentCubes online hervorragend eignet für die Vermittlung von CT in der Primarschule (Repenning 2017. Dies gründet unter anderem auch darin, dass es einem Low-Threshold-High-Ceiling-Ansatz folgt.…”

Section: Agentcubes Onlineunclassified

Scalable Game Design Switzerland

et al. 2018

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Das Modul «Medien und Informatik» des Lehrplans 21 verlangt von Primarlehrpersonen, dass sie mit ihren Schülerinnen und Schülern verschiedene Kompetenzen und Inhalte im Bereich der Informatik erarbeiten. Für die Erfüllung dieses Auftrags benötigen die angehenden Lehrpersonen eine entsprechende Ausbildung, die sie mit dem relevanten Fachwissen und den erforderlichen Kompetenzen in der Informatik ausstattet. Um dies zu gewährleisten, hat die Professur für Informatische Bildung (IB) der PH FHNW im Herbst 2017 mit dem zweisemestrigen Modul «Informatische Bildung» eines der schweizweit ersten obligatorischen Veranstaltungen für alle Bachelorstudierenden des Instituts Primarstufe eingeführt. Das Modul ist die praktische Umsetzung der theoretischen Konzepte und fachdidaktischen Ansätze von Scalable Game Design Switzerland (SGD Switzerland). Bei SGD Switzerland handelt es sich um die auf Schweizer Erfordernisse angepasste Weiterentwicklung von SGD USA – ein jahrzehntelang erprobtes umfassendes Curriculum für die Vermittlung von informatischer Bildung. Grundlage und Essenz von SGD Switzerland und somit auch von dem Konzept des neuen Moduls ist das Verständnis von Denken mit dem Computer – das sogenannte Computational Thinking. Das Konzept des Moduls «Informatischen Bildung», bei welchem die Schulung des analytischen, lösungsorientierten Denkens mit dem Computer im Fokus steht, ist ein Novum schweizweit. Dieser Beitrag erläutert das Konzept des Moduls IB und präsentiert einen ersten Einblick in die Eindrücke der Studenten, die den Kurs besucht haben.

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Moving Beyond Syntax: Lessons from 20 Years of Blocks Programing in AgentSheets

Cited by 55 publications

References 81 publications

Learning as Movement in Social Design-Based Experiments: Play as a Leading Activity

Learning as Movement in Social Design-Based Experiments: Play as a Leading Activity

Measuring Computational Thinking - Adapting a Performance Test and a Self-Assessment Instrument for German-Speaking Countries

Scalable Game Design Switzerland

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