Programming is an effective way to foster children's computational thinking. We present AR-Maze, which is a novel tangible programming tool using Augmented Reality (AR) technology for young children. AR-Maze superposes constant feedback on the physical world and maintains a positive, low-cost learning environment. Using this system, children could create their own programs by arranging programming blocks and debug or execute the code with a mobile device. In addition, they will be able to learn fundamental programming concepts, such as parameters, loop logic, debug, etc. We design and implement this system, as well as conduct a preliminary user study and analyze the results, which can guide a better design of AR-Maze. With this work, we intend to help children programming in an interesting and intuitive way.
Abstract
Summary
AR-Maze is a tool that teaches young children to code by letting them arrange physical blocks to build programs, then using a phone or tablet to see their code come alive through augmented reality. A user study with children showed the system is both engaging and effective at teaching core programming ideas like loops and debugging.