Planning Grant: openHTML - Scaffolded Web Development Toolkit to Support Elementary Computational Literacy

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Drexel University proposes the creation of a scaffolded web development tool called openHTML that exposes learners to an appropriate beginner's model of HTML and CSS architecture and syntax. In cooperation with Peoples Emergency Center in Philadelphia, the Freedom Rings Partnership, and Hartford University, the project staff will design learning experiences to address the needs of beginning web developers in formal classes as well as self-motivated learners in informal contexts like community centers. The planning grant will be used to support the development and pilot studies of beta technologies and educational materials. The project staff will use these activities as a context for design-based research to investigate the impact of formative computational experiences on learners' conceptual models of Web technologies, infrastructure, and computational concepts. The planned project builds on the successes of the PI and Co-PI in prior work on computational literacy, introductory computing experiences, and development of programming expertise; the initial planning stage lays the foundation for an ambitious, long-term design-based research agenda.Widespread computational competency is a vital component of a competitive workforce and vibrant economy. By lowering the barriers to comfort and competence with computing, this project aims to 1) engage individuals who may not otherwise appear on the computer science education radar in creative computational activities, 2) improve the tools available to web development educators and learners, and 3) extend scientific knowledge about the development of early computational thinking skills.