Taciana Pontual Falcão

Tangible Tens: Evaluating a Training of Basic Numerical Competencies with an Interactive Tabletop

Basic numerical competencies developed in kindergarten form the foundations of math achievement. This indicates the importance of early interventions in the case of numerical difficulties. Building on research on math manipulatives and tangible interfaces, we developed a training of basic numerical competencies using an interactive tabletop in combination with physical LEGO-like blocks. In an experiment, we evaluated the effectiveness of the training on childrens learning of the partner number concept, basic numerical competencies and number line estimation, compared to a content-wise similar training with physical manipulatives and a human tutor. We observed significant increases in childrens understanding of the partner number concept and basic numerical competencies in both training conditions, but no differential training effects. As children can play on the interactive surface with reasonable autonomy, it seems to provide a low threshold possibility to enrich kindergarten education on numerical concepts.

I-teach: Processo de Concepção de um Protótipo de Busca e Compartilhamento de Jogos Digitais para Ensino e Aprendizagem de Inglês

This article presents the process of designing a prototype of search and sharing of digital games, directed to English teachers. The research was user-centred and carried out in two stages: a brainstorming session and prototyping of interfaces in which 20 teachers participated. The results culminated in the prototyping of a system of search and sharing of digital games for the teaching-learning of English constructed from the needs of the possible users. The system was designed and developed with the purpose of stimulating and facilitating the insertion of digital games in the pedagogical practices of those teachers aiming at the approximation of their practices to the reality of the current students. Resumo.Este artigo apresenta o processo de concepção de um protótipo de sistema de busca e compartilhamento de jogos digitais, destinado a professores de Inglês. A pesquisa foi centrada no usuário e realizada em duas etapas: sessão de brainstorming e prototipação de interfaces, com a participação de 20 professores. Os resultados culminaram na prototipação de um sistema de busca e compartilhamento de jogos digitais para o ensinoaprendizagem de Inglês construído a partir das necessidades dos possíveis usuários. O sistema foi idealizado e desenvolvido com fins de estimular e facilitar a inserção de jogos digitais nas práticas pedagógicas dos docentes visando à aproximação de suas práticas à realidade dos atuais alunos. 1. Introdução Na última década, a difusão rápida de dispositivos móveis na sociedade, especialmente smartphones, ofereceu oportunidades de inovação no processo educacional. Além disso, as tecnologias recentes configuraram uma nova sociedade em que há novas formas de as pessoas se relacionarem e viverem, além de novas maneiras de aprender, adquirir e trocar conhecimento. A realidade educacional nas diversas esferas vive um momento de transformação e readaptação em busca da inserção de novas ferramentas de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs). No entanto, os professores ainda enfrentam dificuldades para introduzir novas práticas e novas ferramentas, seja pela resistência em traçar novos caminhos [Moran 2012] ou pela dificuldade em encontrar tecnologias apropriadas aos seus contextos didáticos. Por outro lado, as novas TICs também proveem uma maior possibilidade de troca, de intercâmbio entre os pares. Esse maior compartilhamento entre professores aumenta a possibilidade de se expandirem práticas DOI: 10.5753/cbie.wie.2017.568 568 Anais do XXIII Workshop de Informática na Escola (WIE 2017) VI Congresso Brasileiro de Informática na Educação (CBIE 2017)

An Approach for Verifying Educational Robots

Virtual robot programming environments provide a visual interface for programming and simulating educational robots. Nowadays, simulation is the only way to assess the robot behaviour inside such environments, as there is no approach that supports the automatic analysis of the correctness of robot programs. This paper introduces an automatic approach for verifying robot programs written in the educational programming language ROBO. We give semantics for ROBO programs in the setting of CSP process algebra and automatically verify the properties of the programs using the FDR refinement checker. The verification approach has been defined considering programming exercises proposed in the literature on educational robotics. We illustrate the approach using sample programs written in ROBO and discuss how to integrate such an approach with educational tools.

Computational thinking through children's games: an analysis of interaction elements

Digital games represent a ludic, attractive and pedagogically interesting possibility for teaching-learning processes. The appearance of several childrens games based on creation of algorithmic sequences for controlling characters shows the growing importance given to the development of computational thinking at elementary level. However, the adoption of this kind of game in educational contexts is hindered by the lack of trustworthy design and evaluation methods to access the quality of the games and guide developers and educators. This paper reports the evaluation of a childrens digital game for teaching computational thinking, and presents results that contribute to the generation of guidelines related to interface elements, interaction issues and key design choices for performing functions that are common to games of the kind.