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LEGOWorld: Repurposing Commodity Tools & Technologies to Create an Accessible and Customizable Programming Environment

Published: 08 May 2021 Publication History

Abstract

We explore how commodity objects and technologies can be repurposed to provide a multimodal programming environment that is accessible to children with visual impairments, flexible, and scalable to a variety of programming challenges. Our approach resorts to four main components: 1) a LEGO base plate where LEGO blocks can be assembled to create maps, which is flexible and robust for tactile recognition; 2) a tangible programming area where LEGOs, with 3D printed caps enriched with tactile icons, can be assembled to create a program; 3) alternatively, the program can be created through a voice dialogue; and 4) a low-cost OzoBot Bit. A preliminary study with educators suggests that the approach could be useful to a variety of developmental stages, is accessible and stimulating, and promising for CT training.

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  • (2023)MagiBricks: Fostering Intergenerational Connectedness in Distributed Play with Smart Toy BricksProceedings of the 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3585088.3589390(239-252)Online publication date: 19-Jun-2023
  • (2023)The Robot Made Us Hear Each OtherProceedings of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction10.1145/3568162.3576997(13-23)Online publication date: 13-Mar-2023
  • (2023)Positional Control in Node-Based ProgrammingExtended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544549.3585878(1-7)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
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cover image ACM Conferences
CHI EA '21: Extended Abstracts of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
May 2021
2965 pages
ISBN:9781450380959
DOI:10.1145/3411763
Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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Published: 08 May 2021

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Author Tags

  1. LEGO
  2. children with visual impairments
  3. inclusive programming
  4. multimodal
  5. tangibles
  6. voice

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  • Refereed limited

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  • Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia

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CHI '21
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Cited By

View all
  • (2023)MagiBricks: Fostering Intergenerational Connectedness in Distributed Play with Smart Toy BricksProceedings of the 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3585088.3589390(239-252)Online publication date: 19-Jun-2023
  • (2023)The Robot Made Us Hear Each OtherProceedings of the 2023 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction10.1145/3568162.3576997(13-23)Online publication date: 13-Mar-2023
  • (2023)Positional Control in Node-Based ProgrammingExtended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544549.3585878(1-7)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
  • (2023)Coding Together: On Co-located and Remote Collaboration between Children with Mixed-Visual AbilitiesProceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544548.3581261(1-14)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
  • (2023)Integrating educational robot and low-cost self-made toys to enhance STEM learning performance for primary school studentsBehaviour & Information Technology10.1080/0144929X.2023.222230843:8(1614-1635)Online publication date: 16-Jun-2023
  • (2022)Auditory and haptic feedback to train basic mathematical skills of children with visual impairmentsBehaviour & Information Technology10.1080/0144929X.2022.206086042:8(1081-1109)Online publication date: 1-May-2022
  • (2022)Learning maths with a tangible user interfaceInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.10038232:COnline publication date: 1-Jun-2022

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