research-article

I'm Drowning in Squirrels!: How Children Embody and Debug Computational Algorithms Through Designing Mixed Reality Games

Authors:

Breanne K. Litts,

Apoorva Chauhan,

Chase K. Mortensen,

Kamaehu MatthiasAuthors Info & Claims

IDC '19: Proceedings of the 18th ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children

Pages 267 - 273

https://doi.org/10.1145/3311927.3323129

Published: 12 June 2019 Publication History

Abstract

As mobile technologies become more ubiquitous, design work at the intersection of mixed reality and embodied learning is growing. While much of this work focuses on designing technologies and environments for children, we contribute a unique perspective of children as designers of these technologies. In this paper, we explore how children embody and debug computational algorithms through designing their own mixed reality games. We conducted two afterschool workshops with 19 middle school aged children (3 girls, 16 boys, ages 10-13) during which participants designed mobile, location-based games with mixed reality technologies about local plants and animals. Findings reveal how participants across workshops embody a key game mechanic (digitally spawning characters in the real world) by engaging in an iterative digital-to-physical-to-digital debugging process that led to their understanding of the underlying computational algorithm. We further present design considerations for authoring platforms that allow children to design with mixed reality, place-based technologies.

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Yu JXu TKelley CRuppert JRoque R(2024)Leveraging Physical Activities to Support Learning for Young People via Technologies: An Examination of Educational Practices Across the FieldReview of Educational Research10.3102/00346543241248464Online publication date: 18-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241248464
Zhou XZhou YGong YCai ZQiu AXiao QAntle ABai Z(2024)"Bee and I need diversity!" Break Filter Bubbles in Recommendation Systems through Embodied AI LearningProceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3628516.3655802(44-61)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2024
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Cowit NYu J(2024)Supporting Physically Active CS-Ed for Children: Exploring the Design of Physical Play Friendly Coding BlocksExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650973(1-7)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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I'm Drowning in Squirrels!: How Children Embody and Debug Computational Algorithms Through Designing Mixed Reality Games

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cover image ACM Conferences

IDC '19: Proceedings of the 18th ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children

June 2019

787 pages

ISBN:9781450366908

DOI:10.1145/3311927

General Chair:
Jerry Alan Fails
Boise State University, USA

Copyright © 2019 ACM.

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Published: 12 June 2019

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IDC '19

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IDC '19: Interaction Design and Children

June 12 - 15, 2019

ID, Boise, USA

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IDC '19 Paper Acceptance Rate 41 of 124 submissions, 33%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 172 of 578 submissions, 30%

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Cited By

Yu JXu TKelley CRuppert JRoque R(2024)Leveraging Physical Activities to Support Learning for Young People via Technologies: An Examination of Educational Practices Across the FieldReview of Educational Research10.3102/00346543241248464Online publication date: 18-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543241248464
Zhou XZhou YGong YCai ZQiu AXiao QAntle ABai Z(2024)"Bee and I need diversity!" Break Filter Bubbles in Recommendation Systems through Embodied AI LearningProceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3628516.3655802(44-61)Online publication date: 17-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3628516.3655802
Cowit NYu J(2024)Supporting Physically Active CS-Ed for Children: Exploring the Design of Physical Play Friendly Coding BlocksExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3650973(1-7)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3650973
Smith RSchaper MTamashiro MVan Mechelen MPetersen MIversen O(2024)A research agenda for computational empowerment for emerging technology educationInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2023.10061638:COnline publication date: 27-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.ijcci.2023.100616
Karanasios SPapastergiou M(2024)In-service school teachers’ evaluation of YOUth Go, a platform for easily creating educational location-based games that require players’ physical activityEducation and Information Technologies10.1007/s10639-024-12836-329:18(25143-25174)Online publication date: 19-Jun-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-024-12836-3
Yu JHayden RRoque R(2023)Exploring Computational Thinking with Physical Play through DesignProceedings of the 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3585088.3589365(124-136)Online publication date: 19-Jun-2023
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Van Mechelen MSmith RSchaper MTamashiro MBilstrup KLunding MGraves Petersen MSejer Iversen O(2023)Emerging Technologies in K–12 Education: A Future HCI Research AgendaACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/356989730:3(1-40)Online publication date: 10-Jun-2023
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Gardner TLeonard HWaite JSentance S(2022)What do We Know about Computing Education for K-12 in Non-formal Settings? A Systematic Literature Review of Recent ResearchProceedings of the 2022 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research - Volume 110.1145/3501385.3543960(264-281)Online publication date: 3-Aug-2022
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Ale MSturdee MRubegni E(2022)A systematic survey on embodied cognitionInternational Journal of Child-Computer Interaction10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.10047833:COnline publication date: 1-Sep-2022
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