Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

piBook: Introducing Computational Thinking to Diversified Audiences

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Computers Supported Education (CSEDU 2017)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 865))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 566 Accesses

Abstract

Information and communication technologies are reshaping the way we live and work. The expectation is that computational thinking will be a pervasive skill in (near-) future professions of ours’ increasingly digitized and responsive economies. Although this idea is spread and well accepted, acquiring such skills often implies attending specialized courses. However, the basic concepts of computational thinking do not need to be a specialized skill learned disassociated from other school curricula. As it is more related with mental tools used in the process of reflecting and solving problems it can be learned by being applied to a large variety of topics.

This paper presents piBook, a tool designed to allow the acquisition of key computational thinking skills while working on topics such as history, biology, and mathematics, among other. By reaching diversified audiences piBook fosters the acquisition of those skills by future workers at large. It does so via the production of programmable interactive books, hence piBook, that make possible interactive storytelling using nonlinear narratives, by allowing the creation of textual games, interactive activities, tutorials and alike, therefore offering opportunities for new and engaging pedagogical methods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Prensky, M.: H. sapiens digital: from digital immigrants and digital natives to digital wisdom. Innov. J. Online Educ. 5(3), Art.1 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Leonard, L., Mokwele, T., Siebrits, A., Stoltenkamp, J.: ‘Digital Natives’ require basic digital literacy skills. In: The IAFOR International Conference on Technology in the Classroom. The International Academic Forum (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Europeia, C.: New skills for new jobs: action now. A report by the expert group on new skills for new jobs prepared for the European commission (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Forum, W.E.: The Future of Jobs: Employment, Skills and Workforce Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. World Economic Forum, Geneva (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Felicia, P.: Game-Based Learning: Challenges and Opportunities, 1st unabridged edn. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  6. European Commission European Political Strategic Centre (EPSC): The future of work: skills and resilience for a world of change (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Wing, J.M.: Computational thinking, 49(3), 33–35 (2006)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Boyce, M.E.: Organizational learning is essential to achieving and sustaining change in higher education. Innovative High. Educ. 28(2), 119–136 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Kafai, Y.B., Burke, Q.: Connected Code: Why Children Need to Learn Programming. MIT Press, Cambridge (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Lye, S.Y., Koh, J.H.L.: Review on teaching and learning of computational thinking through programming: what is next for K-12? Comput. Hum. Behav. 41, 51–61 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Campos, A., Signoretti, A., Rodrigues, M.: An interactive book authoring tool to introduce programming logic in schools. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, CSEDU, vol. 1, pp. 140–148, INSTICC, SciTePress (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gobel, S., Salvatore, L., Konrad, R.: StoryTec: A digital storytelling platform for the authoring and experiencing of interactive and non-linear stories. In: 2008 International Conference on Automated solutions for Cross Media Content and Multi-channel Distribution, AXMEDIS 2008, pp. 103–110 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Mehm, F., Göbel, S., Steinmetz, R.: Authoring of serious adventure games in StoryTec. In: Göbel, S., Müller, W., Urban, B., Wiemeyer, J. (eds.) Edutainment/GameDays -2012. LNCS, vol. 7516, pp. 144–154. Springer, Heidelberg (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33466-5_16

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  14. Hahn, R.: Collaborative creative writing in the L2 classroom using the software Twine. In: Proceedings of the 6th Future of Education International Conference, pp. 137–142. Pixel (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Resnick, M., Maloney, J., Monroy-Hernández, A., Rusk, N., Eastmond, E., Brennan, K., Millner, A., Rosenbaum, E., Silver, J., Silverman, B., et al.: Scratch: programming for all. Commun. ACM 52(11), 60–67 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Fraser, N.: Ten things we’ve learned from Blockly. In: 2015 IEEE Blocks and Beyond Workshop (Blocks and Beyond), pp. 49–50 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Wolber, D.: App inventor and real-world motivation. In: Proceedings of the 42nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 601–606. ACM (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Partovi, H.: Transforming US education with computer science. In: Proceedings of the 45th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pp. 5–6. ACM (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Robin, B.R.: Digital storytelling: a powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom, 47(3), 220–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Campbell, T.A.: Digital storytelling in an elementary classroom: going beyond entertainment. Procedia-Soc. Behav. Sci. 69, 385–393 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Yang, Y.-T.C., Wu, W.-C.I.: Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: a year-long experimental study. Comput. Educ. 59(2), 339–352 (2012)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  22. Bergner, R.M.: Therapeutic storytelling revisited. Am. J. Psychother. 61(2), 149 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Menezes, H.: Using digital storytelling to improve literacy skills. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age - CELDA 2012, International Association for the Development of the Information Society, pp. 299–301 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Albano, G., Iacono, U.D., Mariotti, M.A.: Argumentation in mathematics: mediation by means of digital interactive storytelling. Form@re - Open J. per la formazione in rete 16(1), 105–115 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Krajcik, J.S., Blumenfeld, P.C.: Project-based learning. In: Sawyer, R.K. (ed.) The Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences, Chap. 19, pp. 317–334. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (2006)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. DIMAp, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN, Natal, Brazil

    André Campos

  2. ESTGA/IEETA, University of Aveiro - UA, Aveiro, Portugal

    Mário Rodrigues

  3. DI, State University of Rio Grande do Norte - UERN, Natal, Brazil

    Alberto Signoretti

  4. GOVCOPP/DEGEIT, University of Aveiro - UA, Aveiro, Portugal

    Marlene Amorim

Authors
  1. André Campos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mário Rodrigues
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alberto Signoretti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marlene Amorim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to André Campos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Paula Escudeiro

  2. University of Salerno, Fisciano, Italy

    Gennaro Costagliola

  3. University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA

    Susan Zvacek

  4. School of Engineering, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom

    James Uhomoibhi

  5. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Bruce M. McLaren

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Campos, A., Rodrigues, M., Signoretti, A., Amorim, M. (2018). piBook: Introducing Computational Thinking to Diversified Audiences. In: Escudeiro, P., Costagliola, G., Zvacek, S., Uhomoibhi, J., McLaren, B. (eds) Computers Supported Education. CSEDU 2017. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 865. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94640-5_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94640-5_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-94639-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-94640-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation