SBIR Phase II: A Collective Programming Environment for the Social Exploration of Computational Thinking Through Games

SBIR 第二阶段：通过游戏进行计算思维社会探索的集体编程环境

• 批准号: 1127398
• 负责人: Alexander Repenning
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: AGENTSHEETS INC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-08-15 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1127398&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Collective; Programming

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project seeks to build a system called CyberCollage as a Social Cyberlearning tool to support computational thinking in STEM education. CyberCollage will enable collective programming of educational games and STEM simulations through a unique combination of networked real-time collaboration mechanisms and Web-based social end-user programming. For example, multiple students can work together on a Frogger game. While one student may be programming the frog, a different student might be working on the turtles. Similarly, students can collaborate on science simulations that explore STEM related questions such as "can your frog live in my pond"? Phase I established technical feasibility, and showed that complex science simulations with tens of thousands of agents can both run efficiently and be created collaboratively by students working together, locally, in the same classroom, or separated by hundreds of miles. Phase II will establish CyberCollage as a scalable cloud-based implementation of a Social Cyberlearning tool, and will integrate embedded assessment mechanisms that make learning outcomes in computational thinking both measurable and predictable. These assessment mechanisms enable the investigation and study of computational thinking transfer evidence between game and STEM applications. The 2010 PCAST report asserts that computational thinking is one of the fundamental concepts of networking and information technology. Fluency in computational thinking is needed to prepare today?s students to be the next generation of innovators and professionals. The proposed combination of high accessibility through Web interfaces, increased motivational prospective through social interfaces, and tested curriculum integrated into required computer education middle school courses is likely to reach a vast audience and attract both women and underrepresented communities to information technology courses and fields. This reach is enhanced by the participation of the National Center of Women in Technology (NCWIT) and Google in the Phase II advisory board. Both organizations are already disseminating AgentSheets Inc. computational thinking resources, which is an extremely positive indicator of a high probability of broad impact and commercial success. The CyberCollage project has established access to disadvantaged communities that include inner city, remote rural, and Native American schools in Alaska, Colorado, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. These and other schools will serve as testbeds. A pledged investment by a third-party organization should establish a consumer-oriented extension of CyberCollage, making Social Cyberlearning of computational thinking relevant beyond its original scope of educational applications.

这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目旨在构建一个名为 Cyber​​Collage 的系统，作为社交网络学习工具，以支持 STEM 教育中的计算思维。 Cyber​​Collage 将通过网络实时协作机制和基于网络的社交最终用户编程的独特组合，实现教育游戏和 STEM 模拟的集体编程。例如，多个学生可以一起玩青蛙游戏。一名学生可能正在对青蛙进行编程，而另一名学生可能正在对海龟进行编程。同样，学生可以合作进行科学模拟，探索 STEM 相关问题，例如“你的青蛙能住在我的池塘里吗？”第一阶段确立了技术可行性，并表明由数以万计的智能体组成的复杂科学模拟既可以高效运行，也可以由学生在本地、在同一个教室或相距数百英里的地方一起协作创建。第二阶段将把 Cyber​​Collage 建立为可扩展的基于云的社交网络学习工具实施，并将集成嵌入式评估机制，使计算思维的学习成果既可测量又可预测。这些评估机制使得计算思维在游戏和 STEM 应用程序之间转移证据的调查和研究成为可能。 2010 年 PCAST​​ 报告断言，计算思维是网络和信息技术的基本概念之一。今天的学生需要具备流利的计算思维，才能成为下一代创新者和专业人士。拟议的通过网络界面的高可访问性、通过社交界面增加动机前景以及将经过测试的课程整合到所需的计算机教育中学课程中的组合可能会吸引大量受众，并吸引女性和代表性不足的社区进入信息技术课程和领域。国家女性技术中心 (NCWIT) 和 Google 参与第二阶段顾问委员会进一步扩大了这一影响力。两个组织已经在传播 AgentSheets Inc. 的计算思维资源，这是一个极其积极的指标，表明极有可能产生广泛影响和商业成功。 Cyber​​Collage 项目已为弱势社区提供了访问机会，其中包括阿拉斯加、科罗拉多州、南达科他州、德克萨斯州和怀俄明州的内城、偏远农村和美洲原住民学校。这些学校和其他学校将作为试验平台。第三方组织承诺的投资应该建立一个以消费者为导向的 Cyber​​Collage 扩展，使计算思维的社交网络学习超越其最初的教育应用范围。