Algorithmic thinking is a central concept in the context of computational thinking, and it is commonly taught by computer programming. A recent trend is to introduce basic programming concepts already very early on at primary school level. There are, however, several challenges in teaching programming at this level: Schools and teachers are often neither equipped nor trained appropriately, and the best way to move from initial "unplugged" activities to creating programs on a computer are still a matter of open debate. In this paper, we describe our experience of a small INTERREG-project aiming at supporting local primary schools in introducing children to programming concepts using Ozobot robots. These robots have two distinct advantages: First, they can be programmed with and without computers, thus helping the transition from unplugged programming to programming with a computer. Second, they are small and easy to transport, even when used together with tablet computers. Although we learned in our outreach events that the use of Ozobots is not without challenges, our overall experience is positive and can hopefully support others in setting up first encounters with programming at primary schools.
翻译:算术思维是计算思维中的核心概念,通常通过计算机编程来教授。最近的趋势是在小学阶段很早就引入基本编程概念。然而,在这一层次的编程教学中存在若干挑战:学校和教师往往缺乏适当的设备或培训,从最初的“未插入”活动转向在计算机上创建程序的最佳方式仍然是一个公开辩论事项。在本文中,我们描述了一个小型INTREG项目的经验,该项目旨在支持当地小学儿童采用使用奥佐博特机器人编程概念。这些机器人有两个不同的好处:首先,它们可以与计算机一起编程,也可以没有计算机,从而帮助从未插入的编程过渡到计算机编程。第二,它们既小又容易运输,即使与平板计算机一起使用。虽然我们在外联活动中了解到,使用奥佐博特并非没有挑战,但我们的总体经验是积极的,而且希望能够支持其他人在小学建立首次编程中。