Learning objectives

The aim of the course is to provide students with;

- knowledge about the education theories that surrounds the use of technologies for educational and didactic purposes.
- knowledge about how to critically investigate the scientific literature in order to identify and evaluate technological tools best suited to meet the needs of the different contexts.
- knowledge about how to use technological tools coherently with their intrinsic characteristics and with the needs of the context.

Prerequisites and basic notions

None.

Program

The course is developed on three main themes:
- New contents/old tools: In this part we face the issue of teaching computational thinking as a new discipline by using activities not involving computers, and focusing on the subject more than on the tools;
- New contents/new tools: In this part we will use tools such as Scratch and code.org for teaching coding and the fondazione of programming to primary school students
- Old contents/new tools: In this part we will see how it is possible to exploit coding for building new tools in order to face old discipline in a innovative and attractive way.

Didactic methods

Lectures and Scratch code development activities

Learning assessment procedures

The exam can be completed in two ways: by submitting a project based on the development of a computer tool written in Scratch; or by completing a written exam consisting of questions on the program developed and the completion of simple Scratch projects started in class. As an optional (but necessary for achieving the highest grades) consolidation of the exam, students are required to submit Scratch programming homework exercises, which they started together and left to complete independently.

Evaluation criteria

The purpose of the assignments and the final project is to assess the student's understanding of the proposed programming techniques and their ability to rework them with original, independently developed solutions. The assessment also includes the ability to integrate the findings into a clear learning project. The project can be completed in groups of up to three students, provided that the work submitted is proportional to the number of students in the group. The written exam, on the other hand, assesses knowledge and understanding of the content through specific questions that also address the Scratch language and any homework submitted.

Criteria for the composition of the final grade

The final grade will consist of the sum of the final project or written exam and the homework evaluation. The final project can be graded up to 27/30, primarily determined by the quality and originality of the programming component. Similarly, the written exam can be graded up to 27/30 based on the completeness and clarity of the answers provided. Finally, homework submissions can be graded up to 4/30 (if submitted by the first exam session), otherwise up to 3/30. The grade depends on the completeness of the submissions. Submitting homework is optional, but without them, the maximum achievable grade for the project is 27, while for the written exam it is 25. For students who do not attend class, homework may be submitted after the class period, but always before submitting the project or writing the exam.

Exam language

Italiano