.NET Gadgeteer: a new platform for K-12 computer science education
.NET Gadgeteer: a new platform for K-12 computer science education
In this paper we present the features of a new physical device prototyping platform called Microsoft .NET Gadgeteer along with our initial experiences using it to teach computer science in high schools. Gadgeteer makes it easy for newcomers to electronics and computing to plug together modules with varied functionality and to program the resulting system’s behavior. We believe the platform is particularly suited to teaching modern programming concepts such as object-oriented, event-based programming and it could be a timely addition to established teaching tools given the current interest in improving high school computer science education in some regions. We have run a number of pilot studies in the US and in the UK with students of varying age and ability. Our results indicate that the tangible and expressive nature of Gadgeteer helps to engage and motivate a diverse set of students. We were also pleasantly surprised by the level of polish and sophistication of the devices which were built. We hope to further explore the potential of Gadgeteer for teaching in future work and we encourage others to build on our experiences.
978-1-4503-1868-6
Hodges, Steve
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Scott, James
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Sentance, Sue
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Miller, Colin
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Villar, Nicolas
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Schwiderski-Grosche, Scarlet
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Hammil, Kerry
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Johnston, Steven
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March 2013
Hodges, Steve
1beb406f-d916-4916-b4ba-f43db56e6a99
Scott, James
38da9dc5-ce87-4dc9-96c9-14af6592c2fb
Sentance, Sue
facd568d-3ca0-4607-9afe-2fa4ec99137f
Miller, Colin
49dea3b2-2183-4d59-bf3a-47053f376f9c
Villar, Nicolas
ff634878-74fd-407a-a551-6af3fb1e50d9
Schwiderski-Grosche, Scarlet
9cc59514-44f8-4152-aaee-2f42050a602c
Hammil, Kerry
abbb59f0-4552-4d56-82d7-d63b33ce986b
Johnston, Steven
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Hodges, Steve, Scott, James, Sentance, Sue, Miller, Colin, Villar, Nicolas, Schwiderski-Grosche, Scarlet, Hammil, Kerry and Johnston, Steven
(2013)
.NET Gadgeteer: a new platform for K-12 computer science education.
SIGCSE, Denver, United States.
06 - 09 Mar 2013.
6 pp
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
In this paper we present the features of a new physical device prototyping platform called Microsoft .NET Gadgeteer along with our initial experiences using it to teach computer science in high schools. Gadgeteer makes it easy for newcomers to electronics and computing to plug together modules with varied functionality and to program the resulting system’s behavior. We believe the platform is particularly suited to teaching modern programming concepts such as object-oriented, event-based programming and it could be a timely addition to established teaching tools given the current interest in improving high school computer science education in some regions. We have run a number of pilot studies in the US and in the UK with students of varying age and ability. Our results indicate that the tangible and expressive nature of Gadgeteer helps to engage and motivate a diverse set of students. We were also pleasantly surprised by the level of polish and sophistication of the devices which were built. We hope to further explore the potential of Gadgeteer for teaching in future work and we encourage others to build on our experiences.
Text
sig149-hodges-final.pdf
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Published date: March 2013
Venue - Dates:
SIGCSE, Denver, United States, 2013-03-06 - 2013-03-09
Organisations:
Engineering Science Unit
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 362921
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/362921
ISBN: 978-1-4503-1868-6
PURE UUID: d6b2fa9d-ed28-4e2d-8cf3-29999308d500
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Date deposited: 17 Mar 2014 16:09
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 16:16
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Contributors
Author:
Steve Hodges
Author:
James Scott
Author:
Sue Sentance
Author:
Colin Miller
Author:
Nicolas Villar
Author:
Scarlet Schwiderski-Grosche
Author:
Kerry Hammil
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