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

这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目旨在建立一个名为CyberCollage的系统，作为一种社交网络学习工具，以支持STEM教育中的计算思维。CyberCollage将通过网络实时协作机制和基于网络的社交终端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，多名学生可以一起制作一款青蛙游戏。当一名学生可能正在为青蛙编程时，另一名学生可能正在为海龟编程。同样，学生们可以合作进行科学模拟，探索与STEM相关的问题，如“你的青蛙能住在我的池塘里吗？”第一阶段建立了技术可行性，并表明具有数万个代理的复杂科学模拟既可以高效运行，也可以由学生在本地、在同一教室或相距数百英里的地方共同工作来协作创建。第二阶段将把CyberCollage建立为社交网络学习工具的一个可扩展的基于云的实施，并将整合嵌入式评估机制，使计算思维的学习结果既可衡量又可预测。这些评估机制使得对计算思维在游戏和STEM应用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。今天需要流利的计算思维才能为S的学生成为下一代创新者和专业人士做好准备吗？拟议的通过网络界面的高可访问性、通过社交界面提高动机前瞻性以及将经过测试的课程整合到必修的计算机教育中学课程中的组合，可能会接触到广泛的受众，并吸引女性和代表不足的社区参加信息技术课程和领域。国家妇女技术中心(NCWIT)和谷歌在第二阶段顾问委员会的参与加强了这一影响。这两个组织已经在传播AgentSheets Inc.的计算思维资源，这是一个非常积极的指标，表明产生广泛影响和商业成功的可能性很高。CyberCollage项目已经建立了接触弱势社区的机会，这些社区包括阿拉斯加、科罗拉多州、南达科他州、德克萨斯州和怀俄明州的市中心、偏远的农村和美洲原住民学校。这些学校和其他学校将作为试验床。第三方组织承诺的投资应该建立一个面向消费者的CyberCollage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。

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.