Taking Programming into Kindergartens: Exploratory Research Activities Using ToonTalk

Leonel Morgado (1) , Maria Gabriel Bulas Cruz (1) , Ken Kahn (2)

1 Department of Engenharias [Vila Real]
2 ToonTalk

We believe that computers should be introduced in kindergarten education under the same philosophy and methods employed for other elements of modern society. Children should be familiar with computers in general, not just with specific sets of skills. We see computer programming in particular as a way to empower children, allowing them to grasp fundamental computing concepts, and not fearing to use a computer in novel ways; they should be able to approach the computer-tool as an adaptable tool, without limited purposes. For the past three years, we conducted exploratory activities, to grasp overall problems and requirements that such research would face. Here we'll present main themes under evaluation and preliminary findings. We hope that the overall picture composed by this unprocessed data will serve as a basis for launching much-needed future research on this field, distinguishing computer activities among themselves.

Mots clés: children programming; LOGO; Toontalk; kindergartens

Domaines: Environnements Informatiques pour l'Apprentissage Humain

Leonel Morgado, Maria Gabriel Bulas Cruz, Ken Kahn. Taking Programming into Kindergartens: Exploratory Research Activities Using ToonTalk. Eurologo'2003 Conference, 2003, Coimbra, Portugal. pp.178-189. ⟨hal-00190134⟩