Integrating music into Computer Science (CS) education can stimulate children's creativity, change the stereotypical perspective of CS, and encourage women, ethnic or cultural minorities involved in the Computer Science area. In this paper, we use Augmented Reality (AR) technology to design a tangible programming system - AR-MPro for children, acting as a bridge between programming and music. It allows children to create customized AR effects to visualize music with low-cost materials by constructing tangible program sequences. AR-MPro is expected to broaden participation in computing, and be more intuitive, intriguing and instructional to enrich children's creating and programming experiences.
Abstract
Summary
AR-MPro lets children learn programming by building physical token sequences that generate colorful AR visualizations of music, making coding feel more like creative play than a technical exercise. By combining cheap, hands-on materials with augmented reality, the tool aims to make computer science more welcoming to kids from underrepresented backgrounds.