We reflect upon the process of developing a tangible space for children’s collaborative construction of screenbased systems. As in all design work, the design process involved continual refinements of initial ideas and their practical realisation. We discuss how some widely held qualities often put forward with tangible interfaces were given up in favour of reaching overall goals of interaction. In particular our design involved a shift from a focus on persistent representation and readability of tangible code structures, to instead focus on achieving reusability of programming resources. On a general level, our results illustrate a view on tangibles as resources for action instead of only as alternative forms of data representation. Importantly, this view includes action directed towards the computer as well as off-line socially oriented action conducted with the tangible artefacts. Author Keywords Tangible programming, TUI, embodied interaction

Tangible user interfaces (TUIs) provide physical form to digital information and computation, facilitating the direct manipulation of bits. Our goal in TUI development is to empower collaboration, learning, and design by using digital technology and at the same time taking advantage of human abilities to grasp and manipulate physical objects and materials. This paper discusses a model of TUI, key properties, genres, applications, and summarizes the contributions made by the Tangible Media Group and other researchers since the publication of the first Tangible Bits

Digital Manipulatives embed computation in familiar children’s toys and provide means for children to design behavior. Some systems use “record and play ” as a form of programming by demonstration that is intuitive and easy to learn. With others, children write symbolic programs with a GUI and download them into a toy, an approach that is conceptually extensible, but is inconsistent with the physicality of educational manipulatives. The challenge we address is to create a tangible interface that can retain the immediacy and emotional engagement of “record and play ” and incorporate a mechanism for real time and direct modulation of behavior during program execution. We introduce the Backpacks, modular physical components that children can incorporate into robotic creations to modulate frequency, amplitude, phase and orientation of motion recordings. Using Backpacks, children can investigate basic kinematic principles that underlie why their specifi c creations exhibit the specifi c behaviors they observe. We demonstrate that Backpacks make tangible some of the benefi ts of symbolic abstraction, and introduce sensors, feedback and behavior modulation to the record and play paradigm. Through our review of user studies with children ages 6-15, we argue that Backpacks extend the conceptual limits of record and play with an interface that is consistent with both the physicality of educational manipulatives and the local-global systems dynamics that are characteristic of complex robots.

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interaction design in practice

We describe a pedagogical approach supporting the acquisition of abstraction skills by apprentices in logistics. Apprentices start with a concrete representation in the form of a small-scale model which aims at engaging them in learning activities. Multiple External Representations are used to progressively introduce more abstract representations displayed on paper-based forms called TinkerSheets. We present the implementation of this approach on the TinkerTable, a tabletop learning environment which is used in two professional schools by four different teachers. We report observations of the use of the environment at different stages of the curriculum with first- and second-year apprentices.

investigates using a tangible interface to solicit direct user input for the purposes of user model creation in a learning environment. This paper describes a prototype implementation of the system, presents some preliminary analysis of its ease of use and effectiveness, and discusses how elements of tangible interaction support concept mapping by helping users organize and structure their knowledge about a domain. The role of physical constraints in supporting the mental activity of creating the concept map is explored as one of the benefits of a tangible approach to learning. Index Terms—learning, tabletop systems, tangible computing, user modeling. I.

www.elsevier.com/locate/jvlc Correlates of the cognitive dimensions for tangible user interface

Abstract. During the early stages of architectural training, tangibility plays an important role in developing spatial awareness. In such contexts, tangible user interfaces are believed to provide a significant advantage as they combine the affordances of both the physical and the digital world. We introduce CubeExplorer, a hybrid 3D conceptual aid that combines physical interaction and digital modeling in an effort to complement conventional architectural space-training tools (such as physical materials and digital CAD programs). Using a digital pen as an input mechanism, CubeExplorer lets users perform subtractive 3D geometric operations on a simple paper based cube model while observing the resulting model on a display. The tangibility of the model simplifies navigation and command execution, while the digital interface makes it easy for users to explore multiple alternative designs. To evaluate the potential of such an approach, we conducted a user study in a normal classroom environment where students were provided with physical (wooden block), hybrid (CubeExplorer), and virtual (FormZ) interfaces to complete the same assignment. Our evaluation showed that CubeExplorer combined the advantages of both digital and tangible media. The advantages of CubeExplorer over digital media were substantiated in a follow-up study comparing CubeExplorer and SketchUp in a similar building task.

Abstract—Many studies have attested to the efficacy of integrating innovative methods of teaching computing and engineering, especially for introductory students and at the K-12 level. As an example, robots have been successfully used to teach a wide range of subjects, from introductory programming to artificial intelligence. As a discipline, wearable computing is seen to be practical, yet futuristic and exciting, and it captures the attention and interest of people who might not otherwise be drawn to technology. Recent developments in this field have also raised the possibility of moving wearable computing construction within the reach of hobbyists and novices. However, there still exist substantial obstacles toward the adoption of wearable computing into education. This paper presents a framework with the objective of facilitating the integration of wearable computing into outreach and introductory computer science and engineering education. We also present a comprehensive evaluation of our platform, including a comparison with the current practice of sewing-based wearable computing. Index Terms—Computer and information science education, programming environments/construction tools, wearable computers and body area networks. Ç