Computational Thinking App Design Mat: Supporting the Development of Students’ Computational Thinking Skills Theodore Hays
Yerika Jimenez
Christina Gardner-McCune
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering University of Florida, Gainesville, FL Abstraction & Pattern Generalization
ABSTRACT Problem Students often need additional help in translating their app ideas into functional programs because they lack understanding of how to map the visual aspects of their projects to programming constructs and algorithms. Research Question 1. To what extent, do students understand the computational thinking practices presented in the CT Mat? 2. To what extent, does the CT Mat supports students as they transition between the designer view and the block view in app inventor?
Designer View
Blocks View
EXAMPLES OF STUDENTS CT APP DESIGN MAT
DATA COLLECTION Data Collection
Examples of Students Mistakes
• Student’s CT Mat artifacts • Observation about how students used the CT Mat
Demographics Gender
Female = 45 Males = 35
Ethnicity
4 Hispanic 20 African Americans 56 Caucasian Eight grade (4) 50 minutes over 16 weeks 2 t0 3 times a week 80 students
Grade Classroom time Total number of students:
FINDINGS App Type
Criteria of how the CT Mat was analyze Level 0 – Nothing is written Level 1 – Written content is incorrect (incorrect references, blank spaces) Level 2 – Written content is correct but some minor mistakes. (Forgetting the “_” between words)
Slideshow
Number of Students 68% (55)
Coin Toss
23% (18)
Debate
9% (7)
Level 3 – Written content is correct Step 1
Step 3
Step 4
Level 0
0
0
0
Level 1
26.9% (22)
26.9% (22)
15.3%(12)
Level 2
26.9%(22)
15.3% (12)
30.7%(25)
Level 3
46%(36)
57.6%(46)
50%(40)
Reference: Gardner-McCune, C., & Jimenez, Y. (2016). Historical App Developers: Integrating CS into K-12 through Cross-Disciplinary Projects. In Y. Rankin & J Thomas (Ed.), Moving Students of Color from Consumers to Producers of Technology (pp. 85-112). IGI Global.
