CodyCube proposal

Stud io I I – P roposal

Cu bi es

02/04/2015

Studio II – Proposal ii

Table of contents

Astronomy 101 Report iii

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Table of Contents

BACKGROUND MATERIAL ______________________________________________________ 1

TEACHING CODING ..................................................................................................................... 1

INSPIRATION ................................................................................................................................ 2

TECHNOLOGY ............................................................................................................................. 2

TARGET AUDIENCE ____________________________________________________________ 3

THE EXPERIENCE (THE WHAT AND THE HOW) _____________________________________ 3

THE EXPERIENCE .......................................................................................................................... 3

THE ENGAGEMENT FACTOR .......................................................................................................... 4

Learning Types 4

Other Factors 4

PROJECT CONSTRAINTS ________________________________________________________ 5

CONSTRAINTS .............................................................................................................................. 5

OVERCOMING CONSTRAINTS ....................................................................................................... 5

THE CONCEPT _________________________________________________________________ 6

CODYCUBE! ............................................................................................................................... 6

WHAT IS CODYCUBE? ................................................................................................................. 6

HOW DOES IT WORK? .................................................................................................................. 7

The game 7

The functions 7

The Cube 8

The interactive table 8

Studio II – Proposal iv

Scenario 8

RELEVANCE TO THEME ________________________________________________________ 10

PLAN FOR COMPLETION ______________________________________________________ 11

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS___________________________________________________ 13

David Chaseling 13

Arturo Ibáñez 13

Alex Potts 13

Jafo Teng 14

REFERENCES _________________________________________________________________ 15

CodyCube

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CodyCube Cu bi es

Alexander Potts 42373227

David Chaseling 43138731

Arturo Ibáñez 43318757

Jafo Teng 43062966

Physical Computing & Interaction Design Studio proposal

02/04/2015

Background Material

Careful consideration of relevant technologies, other existing products and

the topic itself has been conducted to establish the problem space.

T e a c h i n g c o d i n g

As coding becomes an increasingly essential skill for newer generations, in-

creasing students’ interest in it is becoming more and more important. Ac-

cording to Smith et al. (2000), less than 1% of novices continue to program af-

ter they finish their programming course. Therefore, finding an alternative way

to increase students’ interest in programming and supporting them is a main

task that educators face. There are three types of knowledge that a pro-

grammer need to provide: syntactic, conceptual and strategic (McGill and

Volet 1997). The first two types are more focussed on the specific languages

and principles of programming. Strategic knowledge however relates more to

problem solving skills - which CodyCube hopes to teach.

According to Norman (1986), there are two ways to bridge the gap between

the representations the brain uses when trying to solve problems, and the rep-

resentations a computer will accept. The first moves the user closer to the sys-

tem, while the other moves the system closer to the user. In current program-

ming classes teachers generally target the first system, by teaching students a

programming language (Baldwin and Kuljis 2001). However, research shows

that this method is less efficient (Smith, Cypher et al. 2000). In fact, effective

learning take place in a context where learners have more opportunities to

interact and cooperate. When teachers use more abstract representations of

the logical concepts behind programming, this can bring the system close to

the users and potentially increase students’ interest in programming (Baldwin

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and Kuljis 2001). The aim of the CodyCube project is to create a product that

users can collaboratively interact with to gain a basic understanding of the

logic behind the computer without knowing the code itself.

I n s p i r a t i o n

When developing a new idea, it is important to consider related existing

products both for inspiration, and to garner knowledge on what has been

previously tried and tested (whether negatively or successfully). The most

common type of products that teaches coding on the market are visual

game such as Code with Anna and Elsa from Code Studio (Code.org 2015).

These types of games meet the requirement of being easy to learn. By visualis-

ing the code with animated characters the games are able to represent the

logic behind the code. However, as these games remain computer-based,

mouse and keyboards are required for the game play, and these games be-

come somewhat similar, “Drag and Drop” style-games. These do not provide

much scope for retaining interest from the children as they become increas-

ingly monotonous. Other current products of interest are tangible devices

such as Primo (Solid-Labs-Limited 2015). Products like this use physical devices

such as toy bricks to represent the code and kids can “program” with these

bricks to create structured “code” in visual form. While these are a much

more engaging experience and collaborative experience for the children,

these are aimed towards a very younger demographic, with little room for

more advanced uses. The aim here is to produce something different to the

regular “drag and drop” type games that are already out there, and provide

a unique, unparalleled and engaging user experience.

T e c h n o l o g y

To successfully build prototypes and a final product, it is imperative to con-

sider what technologies are available and relevant to the problem space.

Arduinos will be the main component providing the interactions in our project.

Arduinos are single board micro-controllers for creating digital devices and

interactive objects. They run programs written in C or C++ and have a variety

of appliances to extend functionality. Bluetooth or WiFi are in consideration as

the data transfer methods, while an accelerometer will be used to allow the

device to map it’s position/ rotation (x, y, and z coordinates). Both of these

functions can be applied to an Arduino with some extended component.

RFIDs and fiducial markers are other possible implementations that may be

prototyped. RFIDs are a radio frequency identification technology that can

identify the target wirelessly (Want 2006). This could help with providing differ-

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ent ids for different Cubes as well as many other purposes. Fiducial markers

are symbol tags placed under a camera system that can be detected as a

unique ID to trigger some action in the computer. It has been used success-

fully on some great project such as Reactable (Kaltenbranner, Jorda et al.

2006).

Target Audience

Whenever creating a new product or service, one of the most important as-

pects to consider as a starting point is the target audience. Who the product

or service is targeting will determine almost every other aspect of the design;

as if it is not tailor-made to suit this target audience it will have little chance of

becoming a success. For an installation or device this is possibly even more

important as it is particularly aimed at engaging these users - and if the target

audience has no interest in it it will be a failure.

CodyCube will be aimed at primary school students - year 6 students in par-

ticular. As this is the last year level before the children move on to high school

and begin selecting their own subjects (and considering where their future

career lies), this should provide a timely interest booster for programming, and

also help to build the requisite skills that will be necessary later on if they are to

pursue that path.

The Experience (The What and the How)

T h e E x p e r i e n c e

CodyCube will aim to teach children the logic, structures and basic com-

mands that are common across the majority of programming rather than

specific languages themselves. It will immerse the students in a social learning

environment where is the friendly competition between the pairs or small

groups they will be working in. The emphasis is on making the experience fun

for all involved.

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T h e E n g a g e m e n t F a c t o r

To enhance the user experience, there are a few key characteristics that the

concept must implement. When considering these characteristics, the target

audience again needs to be considered.

L e a r n i n g T y p e s

"Approximately 20 to 30 percent of the school-aged population remembers

what is heard; 40 percent recalls well visually the things that are seen or read;

many must write or use their fingers in some manipulative way to help them

remember basic facts; other people cannot internalize information or skills

unless they use them in real-life activities”

(Carbo, R. Dunn & K. Dunn 1986)

As this is directed at students, and with the end goal being that this concept

provides some form of education it is important to consider the three types of

learning: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing) and kinaesthetic (doing). Awasthi

posits that the use of visual imagery for children of this age group (Awasthi, D.

2014) makes learning easy and permanent, adds creativity, produces more

involvement of students in the classroom and a healthy relationship with the

environment. As such, visual feedback will be a key component of the con-

cept. Having received verbal teachings of the content and knowledge by

the teacher prior to each task, the students will then be able to put what they

have learnt into practice, by experimenting and working together to accom-

plish each challenge as they are presented to them. They will also receive

audio feedback throughout the exercise, thus ensuring that all three learning

types are covered. The use of these three methods will make learning easy

and permanent, whilst also encouraging self learning and increased creativ-

ity.

O t h e r F a c t o r s

As well as the crucial elements of learning, there are several other THINGS that

will be utilised to maintain an engaging experience for the user. The aim will

be for the children to develop an emotional investment over the course of

the term, semester or year with their individual CobyCube. This will have the

combined effect of encouraging the children to develop their Cube to be

the best it can be, and to keep their interest in doing this on a consistent, long

term basis. As they will be working in pairs or small groups, developing team-

work and collaboration is an absolute necessity - which will in turn lead to

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healthy competition between peers. To further capitalise on creating a com-

petitive nature in the classroom, students will accrue points towards physical

rewards. Through the incorporation of all of these elements, the concept will

stimulate learning through competition - encouraging the children to push

themselves and their limits without even realising it.

Project Constraints

C o n s t r a i n t s

Children’s abilities

Integration with/ into the national curriculum

Teachers who may be unable or unwilling to teach something previously un-

known to them

Different types of children (e.g. different personalities/ interest levels, mental

and behavioural disorders, learning disabilities etc)

O v e r c o m i n g C o n s t r a i n t s

Exercises will start with the absolute basics, and progressively introduce new

concepts and strategies until the students are able to work independently

and at their own pace

Research and discussions into the current national curriculum has uncovered

the introduction of a (yet to be approved) Digital Technologies component -

and the description of this seems to suggest that CodyCube should be easily

assimilated. The proposal states that “Students increase the sophistication of

their algorithms by identifying repetition and incorporate repeat instructions or

structures when implementing their solutions through visual programming”

(Australian Curriculum, 2015), and also mentions collaboration, identifying

similarities in problems and iteration.

The technology ought to be self contained and explanatory such that any

intervention for the teacher is minimal. A training manual will be supplied to

the teacher, with exercises and instructions also included to guide them

through the class. Beyond teaching (following the manual) the basic con-

cepts introduced at each stage of the interaction, the teacher’s input can be

minimal (if wanted). The concept will also be self marking.

The highest possible level of stimulation will be necessary, and the introduction

of new concepts and challenges all the time will maintain interest. As stated

above, all three kinds of learners will be targeted. Positive reinforcement,

matching the level of instruction to the child’s ability (i.e. learning at their own

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pace), making learning fun, supporting belongingness through structured ac-

tivities (i.e. belonging to a group), breaking learning into small steps, supplying

regular and quality feedback, the use of diagrams, graphics and pictures to

augment verbal instructions and providing prompts of strategies to use are all

other techniques that will be utilised (LDA 2014, Kids Matter 2015).

The Concept

C o d y C u b e !

W h a t i s C o d y C u b e ?

CodyCube is an original concept designed to provide students with a basic

introduction to coding. Using a CodyCube and an Interactive Table students

will work through levels of increasing difficulty to develop coding and prob-

lem solving skills. The learning will focus around the logic behind most coding

languages rather than specific languages such as Java or Python.

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H o w d o e s i t w o r k ?

In pairs or small groups, students will be given a Cube and an interactive ta-

ble. Students will use the Cube in combination with the table to develop small

functions that allow them to move through levels of a game. CodyCube is

made up of 4 key elements:

T h e g a m e

Each game is made up of 4 colours. Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green. The objec-

tive is for students to get from the Start to the Finish of each level by moving

on a path the colours allow. The game is played by all students at the same

time on the classrooms main screen.

T h e f u n c t i o n s

The functions are what help the Students move through the game. In the ex-

ample level above the first 2 colours are RED and ORANGE. In order to move

from RED to ORANGE a function identifying what happens when you get to

red is needed.

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For example: “If RED then ORANGE” would allow this. Students can code as

many functions as they like but through progression in levels will learn that

more complex functions such as ‘for loops’ can replace many simple ‘If/then

statements’. There is no one way of getting through the levels but the more

scenarios the students code for the faster they will finish.

T h e C u b e

The Cube is the controller the Students use to code these functions. As seen

on the Cube there are 5 main statements. ‘If’, ‘then’, ‘and’, ‘or’ and ‘for’.

These statements are used in combination with each other to form the func-

tions required to get through each level. For example a Students function “If

BLUE then RED” will allow the Cube to move from a BLUE circle to a RED circle.

T h e i n t e r a c t i v e t a b l e

The interactive table is used with the Cube to build the functions and also al-

low the Students to view, edit, and delete current functions.

S c e n a r i o

The teacher of the class hands out Cubes amongst groups of 2-3 and gives

the Students 10 minutes to solve the current level of the game. The game is

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displayed on the main projector of the classroom so everyone is able to see

as they code. Team 3 notice that there are several paths that could be taken

to move through the level but choose to begin working through the most ob-

vious path.

The Cube is taken and placed on the table with the ‘IF’ symbol facing up.

With the Cube on the table the Team 3 now choose the first colour at ‘START’.

This happens to be ‘BLUE’. The next colour the team wants to move from the

BLUE circle is RED. The Cube is turned with the ‘THEN’ symbol facing up and

the colour ‘BLUE’ is selected on the table. A function reading “If Red then

Blue” has now appeared and been coded into the Cube. It has also moved

into the Completed functions section of the table for the team to view/edit if

needed.

This process is repeated several times and now the Cube has many different

functions for possible colour jumping/scenarios. The 10 minutes is now up and

the teacher asks the students to finish up whatever function they are working

on. Each team/ Cube is displayed graphically in the game on the main pro-

jector and the game is played.

Team 3 coded for many possible scenarios such as what happens if the col-

ours change during the game. Because of their team makes it to the end of

the game while other team’s code was not extensive enough to finish. Team

3 now tells their rival teams which functions helped them to complete the

level.

The idea with CodyCube is that there is no one way of completing the

course. When the game is loaded and all teams Cube begin travelling

through many students will have chosen different paths. The game will auto-

matically choose the quickest path available to each Cube based on the

code the Students have built for it. Therefore Students who code for all possi-

ble scenarios will be rewarded with quicker times, while Students who only

code for a few cases may find they do not make it to the end of the level. As

levels progress Students will find it harder to complete the level with the basic

‘If/then statements’ and will be gradually introduced to new concepts such

as ‘for loops’.

CodyCube creates a social learning environment. When a group fails a level

they will be provided with feedback from both the game and fellow Students.

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The game will give them an example function of how they could continue the

game where they got stuck and other students will share their findings with

each other. Each Group can go back and add code to their Cube until they

get it right.

Relevance to Theme

The CodyCube is relevant to theme as its main objective is to generate early

interest to children in programming, creating a collaborative environment

through playful physical technology. CodyCube aims to be a children's tool

which they can not only use to play and learn programming thinking, but also

to increase their problem solving skills. Bringing such technology to their class-

rooms CodyCube contributes in the effort of providing better education for

the future.

CodyCube was conceptualised because it will cover both digital and physi-

cal aspects of technology needed to create a mixed reality environment.

CodyCube is the physical object they interact with, in order to manipulate a

digital environment while they learn principles for basic programming in an

effortless and entertaining way. Other ideas were brought for possible devel-

opment, but we think CodyCube covers all aspects missing to help breach

the gap to create children's interest in coding.

Technological and personal constraints are to be faced over the progress of

CodyCube's construction, but the knowledge acquire during studio sessions

will help to overcome applying strategies such as user-centred design, hu-

man-computer interaction principles, and design iteration in order to deliver a

quality product.

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Plan for Completion

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Week #

Phase Tasks 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 People Resources

Prototyping

Engineering specifications (technology used) Jeff, Arturo, All

2 hours

Levels and tasks design Alex, David 3 hours

Reward system design Alex, David 3 hours

Prototype building All 30 hours

Prototype testing Jeff, Arturo 2 hours

Prototype iteration Jeff, Arturo

3 hours

Prototype deliver All

Development

Interface design Alex, David 8 hours

Coding All 120 hours

Cube building / development Jeff, Arturo 40 hours

First target user testing All 2 hours

Development path feedback All 2 hours

Development adjustments All 2 hours

Second target user testing All 2 hours

Iteration after feedback and additional features Jeff, Arturo, All 3 hours

Product Delivery

Installation setup Alex, David, All 3 hours

Public presentation All

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* Allocated hours per team member

Individual Contributions

D a v i d C h a s e l i n g

My background as a Multimedia student has given me a very broad skill set

that can benefit this team in almost all work areas. I am capable in design,

concept development, user testing as well as languages html, css, basic java

and actionscript. As I am skilled and highly interested in the area of Flash ani-

mation and Actionscript coding, I see my main contribution to the team best

suited in those areas. I am also very skilled at building things with my hands. I

believe things will be useful when building any physical objects our concept

may need.

A r t u r o I b á ñ e z

As a student of Interaction Design master's degree my main interests are fo-

cused on the overall user experience, how humans can interact with tech-

nology in a natural way with less effort on learning how to use it. I have been

working over the past ten years in web and multimedia development and I

have strong skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Web Server manage-

ment and configuration, ActionScript and Python. I also have experience

working on user interfaces, but for the purpose of this subject I want to focus

my contribution on the user experience area and also in the development of

the cube itself.

A l e x P o t t s

As a Multimedia Design student I am capable in many different areas ranging

from object-orientated programming, to web design, to graphic design. Well I

am capable in all of these areas, my passion most definitely lies in the more

visual area - namely graphic and user interface design and as such these are

the areas I excel most in. I have some experience with programming lan-

guages such as Java and Python, and a bit more experience with Action-

Script. I am also proficient with html, CSS and basic JavaScript and JQuery. I

have extensive experience with Adobe's Creative Suite. My main focus will

probably be in the creative process, and the design of the physical installa-

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tion itself, as well as the UI and visual aspects of the game's output, and the

details of the concept itself.

J a f o T e n g

As an Interaction Design student with IT background, I have plenty experi-

ence ranging from programming to UI / UX design. With programming ability, I

am capable with OO programming (e.g. Java, Python), web design, Action-

script 3, etc. If we are going to use Arduino, I play with it several years ago,

they use different language in that time, but I think I can learn it in a short

time. With the UI/UX ability, my experience are base on digital product (soft-

ware) but not graphic design part. I think my main focus might be execution

(programming / product the product) and assist main designer in the design

part.

Team Member Skill-Set Contribution

David Chaseling MultiMedia Design

Design Html, Css, Java, Action-

script Building

Lead Flash developer, as-sistant designer, builder

Arturo Ibáñez Master of Interac-tion Design

User Experience Actionscript, JavaScript,

HTML, CSS, Python Arduino

User Experience, devel-oper

Alex Potts MultiMedia Design

Design Graphic Design Branding Html, Css, Java, JavaScript,

Actionscript

Lead colour designer

Jafo Teng Master of Interac-tion Design

Design Html, Css, Java, Python,

Actionscript Arduino

Arduino developer and system designer

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References

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from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/digital-

technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1#level5-6

Awasthi, D. (2014). Utilising Audio Visual Aids to make learning Easy and Effec-

tive in Primary Education. Research Paper. 3. from

http://isindexing.com/isi/papers/1408452975.pdf

"Arduinio." In Wikipedia Retrieved 1 April, 2015, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino.

Baldwin, L. P. and J. Kuljis (2001). Learning programming using program visuali-

zation techniques. System Sciences, 2001. Proceedings of the 34th Annual

Hawaii International Conference on, IEEE.

Carbo, M., Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (1986). Teaching Students to Read Through

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Code.org. (2015). "CODE STUDIO." from http://studio.code.org/.

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from http://school.familyeducation.com/intelligence/teaching-

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Kaltenbranner, M., S. Jorda, G. Geiger and M. Alonso (2006). The reactable*:

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on, IEEE.

LDA (2014). Successful Strategies for Teaching Students with Learning Disabil i-

ties. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from http://ldaamerica.org/successful-

strategies-for-teaching-students-with-learning-disabilities/

McGill, T. J. and S. E. Volet (1997). "A conceptual framework for analyzing stu-

dents’ knowledge of programming." Journal of research on Computing in

Education 29(3): 276-297.

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Norman, D. A. and S. W. Draper (1986). "User centered system design." Hills-

dale, NJ.

Kids Matter (n.d.) Serious behaviour problems: Suggestions for teaching staff.

Retrieved April 1, 2015, from

https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/families/mental-health-difficulties/serious-

behaviour-problems/serious-behaviour-problems-0

Smith, D. C., A. Cypher and L. Tesler (2000). "Programming by example: novice

programming comes of age." Communications of the ACM 43(3): 75-81.

Solid-Labs-Limited. (2015). "PRIMO." from www.primo.io.

Want, R. (2006). "An introduction to RFID technology." Pervasive Computing,

IEEE 5(1): 25-33

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