ITR: Computationally-Enhanced Construction Kits: Integrating Tangible and Computational Media for Construction and Design

ITR-计算增强型建筑工具包：将有形和计算媒体集成到建筑和设计建筑工具包中--如几何设计套装、安装套装、建筑积木、解剖模型、化学建模套装--是为建造或组装物理模型而设计的玩具。从历史上看，这种工具包在儿童生活中发挥了强大的教育作用。该项目正在开发各种计算增强的建筑工具包，重点放在科学、数学和工程领域(如固体几何、分子化学、建筑设计和解剖学)。通过使用嵌入式计算，建筑工具包中的部件可以相互通信，与台式机器进行通信，并与其用户进行通信；总体上，通过将建筑工具包与计算相结合，这些工具包的教育能力和表现力可以大大增加。工作涉及一系列基本问题，突出包括：[a]如何改进此类工具包的技术设计；[b]如何扩展这些工具包的科学内容；[c]如何描述这类工具包的认知和教育益处(如果有的话)。在解决这些问题时，私人投资机构正在使用比较设计的策略：即，他们正在系统地探索各种设计替代方案，表征每种设计方案的优缺点，并试图“规划”出建造工具包的总体设计空间。该项目的目标和主题能够对促进美国的科学和数学教育产生深远而广泛的影响。在培养学生对科学和数学的兴趣方面，建筑工具包往往起着核心的作用。负担得起的嵌入式计算材料的出现，再加上强大的软件应用程序和万维网，使这些工具包能够发挥更大的民主化和教育作用。新的社会结构可以围绕物质结构媒体发展；事实证明，这些新结构在吸引传统上服务不足的人口进入科学和技术职业方面特别强大。

ITR-Computationally-Enhanced Construction Kits: Integrating Tangible and Computational Media for Construction and Design Construction kits-such as geometric design sets, erector sets, architectural blocks, anatomical models, chemical modeling kits-are toys designed for the building or assembly of physical models. Such kits have historically played a powerful educational role in children's lives. This project is developing a wide variety of computationally enhanced construction kits, focusing on scientific, mathematical, and engineering domains (such as solid geometry, molecular chemistry, architectural design, and anatomy). Through the use of embedded computation, pieces within a construction kit may communicate with each other, with desktop machines, and with their users; and overall, by integrating construction kits with computation, the educational power and expressiveness of these kits can be greatly increased.The work addresses a range of foundational questions, prominently including:[a] How to improve the technical design of such kits;[b] How to expand the scientific content of these kits; and[c] How to characterize the cognitive and educational benefits (if any) of such kits.In addressing these questions, the PIs are using a strategy of comparative design: that is, they are systematically exploring a variety of design alternatives, characterizing the strengths and weaknesses of each, and attempting to "map out" the overall design space for construction kits. The goals and subject matter of this project are capable of profound and widespread impact in the promotion of American science and mathematics education. Construction kits often have a central affective role in developing students' interests in science and mathematics. The advent of affordable materials for embedded computation in combination with both powerful software applications and the World Wide Web enables these kits to have a vastly more democratized and educationally potent role. New social structures can develop around physical constructional media; and these new structures could prove especially powerful in attracting traditionally underserved populations into scientific and technological careers.