Developing "Project Bloks" tool for children who can learn proaming just by combining blocks with Google

In programming education that children who are future carriers of the computing industry understand the concept of programming and acquire skills that can express their ideas in the digital world, it is necessary to perform "Tangible programming (Tactile programming) "is said to be useful, various tools are born. A high-tech company, Google also uses a tool that utilizes Tangible programming for children's programming education "Project BloksIt is under development.

Project Bloks - Creating a development platform for tangible programming
https://projectbloks.withgoogle.com/

You can see what kind of programming learning tool Project Bloks is by looking at the following movie.

Introducing Project Bloks - YouTube


"The goal of" Project Bloks "is to make open hardware platforms where designers, developers, researchers can provide everything necessary for children for" Tangible programming " Maggie Johnson of Google.


"What is required for children's programming education is an educational program that can express the ideas of children who do not have expressive means," said Associate Professor of Stanford University, Paul of the development member of Project Bloks Mr. Brixstein.


Children use "hands" to create "things" and "express".


And, in most cases, this expression is work inside a group such as a friend.


I will play with hands, think things and express.


"In computing and programming, I think that the best for children to learn new technologies is that they can be hand-made with friends."


"In programming education, I think that the way to solve problems in" real world "with friends away from coding work using monitors and keyboards is very good when the age is low." Professor Miles Berry who studies pedagogy at Rohampton University.


It is Profect Bloks thought small children to learn programming learning more naturally and effectively, using components like hand touching toys.


Assemble it in various forms ......


While thinking with everyone, you can learn about programming to play.


"Tnagible proguramming" that realizes such programming education was invented by professor Simur Papert of MIT in the 1970s.


To realize this idea, various programming educational tools have been developed.




Profect Bloks is also developed based on the idea of ​​Tangible programming.


Parts like this block ......


Merge it into your favorite form and think about programming.


It is easy to assemble with hands, and while playing with friends, thinking about learning the idea of ​​nature and programming.


The parts of Profect Bloks are largely made up of three parts.


It is "Brain Board" (left), "Pucks" (upper right), "Base Boards" (lower right)


Pucks are attached to Base Boards and used. Pucks is a part where children can touch the program directly by hand. Knob ... and so on.


switch


There is an arrow dial that determines the direction.


Programming will be completed by finally connecting the Base Boards + Pucks parts with the Brain Board.


If you connect Base Boards to each other, you can also create more complicated programs.


Completing the program by attaching Pucks to each linked Base Boards.


Connecting Brain Board and Base Boards in this way ......


Completing the Music Box by installing the cover.


With various Pucks, you can operate the wireless speaker.


With Project Bloks, children can express their own ideas in various ways.


When temperature is detected and conditions are met ... ...


It was a program that took light.


In Project Bloks, we can understand the concept of programming naturally while thinking while playing by rearranging the parts into various shapes and setting conditions.


Project Bloks' Project Leader James Goldstein said, "It is the ultimate goal of Project Bloks to allow children to use Tangible programming that children can understand while playing programming for free," I will.


Google believes that children's interest in programming, understanding the concept of programming and being able to express ideas is a great benefit for high-tech companies including Google in the future, using keyboards Even children who can not code seem to have taken a lot of resources to develop tools for Tangible programming that can learn programming.

In addition to coding, Google is developing various programs that children can learn.

Official Google Blog: Technology to help teachers do what they do do best
https://googleblog.blogspot.jp/2016/06/technology-help-teachers.html

Tools for educators and students to learn using Android devices ......


I am developing quiz format, software etc. that I can learn while playing.