Abstract:

In this paper, we present a description of primary school children's first contact with the Azobopi robot, used as part of a project to promote the use of tangible devices to foster Computational Thinking.

Azobopi is made from off-the-shelf components that can easily be found on the market. The intention behind this feature is to be easily assembled by schools in the context of school robotics clubs, easily adaptable for different objectives and not too expensive.

Methodologically, this part of the project sought to use challenges posed to the children to observe how they appropriated the functionality of the robot to solve them. Seventeen children aged between 8 and 10 took part in this phase of the project, in a classroom setting at a public school.

The children were invited to solve simple problems on a robotic floor, asking them to program the robot using its interface. As a result, we identified children's behaviours that suggest an interest in the robot, showing facility in using the robot's interface and solving the problems presented, opening the door for researchers to plan the next phases of the project with more complex challenges.

Keywords:

Computational Thinking, Educational Robotics, Interaction.