Mediating programming through chat for the OLPC

ABSTRACT

We built a text-based programming environment that enables youth to design and implement a chat client for the One Laptop per Child XO. The environment allows users to program and chat simultaneously. We conducted two one-week workshops at a Girl Scout camp to test user engagement with the environment. In this paper, we examine how chat mediated the programming experience in a collocated environment and its implications for motivating participation in computing.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.1 Computer Uses in Education

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)

General Terms:
Human Factors

Keywords:
computer science education, computer supported collaborative learning, programming