David Moises Barreto dos Santos

Learning programming with peer support, games, challenges and scratch

Helping college freshmen to learn basic computer programming is a longstanding research topic. Various environments, tools and languages have been developed to ease the initial steps of novice programmers. However, to be used to their full extent, such artifacts should be better combined with an appropriate learning approach. This work describes pre-term workshops offered to Computer Engineering undergraduate freshmen that combines the use of the Scratch learning environment with a learning approach based on peer support, game development and a strategy of challenge-response. Results are derived from quantitative data analysis: surveys and artifact analysis. Students evaluated the workshop well: they found it stimulant, lightweight, with good teaching, useful, well-organized, and conducive to learning. Results suggest the effectiveness of the approach to reduce initial difficulties for freshmen learning programming concepts.

A convergência tecnológica líquida no contexto da sala de aula: um recorte do ensino superior público baiano sob a ótica discente

Este artigo apresenta um modelo para aplicacao de tecnicas de mineracao em dados coletados a partir de avaliacoes da aprendizagem. A partir da proposta, torna-se possivel identificar quais conteudos e em que niveis cognitivos eles foram assimilados pelos aprendizes, permitindo, assim, que estrategicas pedagogicas sejam adequadamente planejadas para grupos de estudantes que apresentem as dificuldades identificadas. Para validar o estudo, sao apresentados tambem os resultados do experimento realizado numa disciplina de Programacao do curso de Licenciatura em Computacao da Universidade de Pernambuco.

Processes of knowledge construction in the classroom mediated by technological convergence: reflections of this emerging scenario

It is remarkable the outbreak in the educational context, of the phenomenon we call technological convergence, in short, characterized by a proliferation and coexistence of mobile cyberinstruments (netbooks, tablets, etc.) and constant flow of information. In this sense, the aim of this paper is to discuss changes in knowledge building processes in the classroom environment, in the context of higher education, mediated by technological convergence. To this end, we developed an exploratory and qualitative research whose investigated object was a postgraduate course. The instruments used to conduct experiments were participant observation, semistructured interviewing and literature review; for the analysis, we used content analysis and triangulation between the cited instruments. The research, with special emphasis on multidisciplinary attentional mechanisms, allowed us to identify and assess relevant aspects of the studied scenario, revealing that the convergence can help to accelerate processes of (collaborative) knowledge building but also raise difficulties.

An Analysis of a Media-Based Approach to Teach Programming to Middle School Students

Previous studies have presented approaches to teach programming based on contexts close to students, such as games, robotics, and media. Those contexts may turn learning easier and more motivating. Media manipulation is one of such contexts relevant to teenage students, for their thorough use of image applications and social networks. In this work, we design and evaluate a spiral approach to teach programming to ninth-grade students of a middle school in Brazils countryside. The approach is contextualized by media, i.e., image creation and manipulation, and we use the Python language with turtle graphics and JES tools to support it. Results point out to the influence of context and tools on learning, significant changes of perception about computing, high motivation to learn how to code, as well as a positive correlation between learning and motivation.

Uso de dispositivos móveis em sala de aula: uma análise qualitativa de um recorte do ensino superior baiano

Este artigo discute o uso de dispositivos móveis na sala de aula considerando um recorte da realidade universitária baiana. Para tanto, utilizou-se de artefatos da pesquisa qualitativa, buscando adentrar o cotidiano da sala de aula do ponto de vista discente. Ponderando vantagens e desvantagens de tal uso, percebemos que a dispersão é o grande desafio que se põe para professores e estudantes. Porém, isso não significa que para estes últimos tais dispositivos devam ser extintos da sala de aula, mas sim contextualizados de uma melhor forma. Finalmente, também notamos que o uso de dispositivos móveis pouco tem favorecido o processo de construção no âmbito coletivo, diferente do que pode ocorrer na esfera individual.