TANGIBLE PROGRAMMING WITH AUGMENTED REALITY

Learning and teaching programming is a challenging process for students and teachers. The selection of the appropriate tools for teaching programming is an important task which depends on different factors such as age appropriateness and motivational features. The first encounter with text-based programming languages can be intimidating for novice programmers, especially for young children. Text-based programming languages are artificial languages with a strict syntax which is often not similar to natural language. Although there are examples of those languages developed for young novices, children are also prone to typos. The idea to replace textual language constructs with visual representations or blocks resulted in the development of the visual programming languages (VPLs). However, VPLs require a certain amount of the interaction with the technology (the use of a computer with mouse or keyboard or touch devices like tablets or smartphones) and also reading ability since instructions are often presented in the textual form. Besides the essential use of some tool, learning programming requires other students’ abilities (for example problem solving). Although it is suggested acquiring of specific abilities depends on student's age, children can reach some developmental stages earlier than expected if the learning context is appropriate. For the purpose of teaching programming even before it is possible with VPLs, visual blocks are then replaced with physical objects such as cards or cubes. Languages that use physical (tangible) objects are referred to as "tangible programming languages" (TPLs). Some of the activities planned with TPLs are even without any technology or “unplugged”. Tools or environments used for teaching programming are often closely coupled with the technology (considering hardware and software). The technology is rapidly advancing, but teachers should try to keep the pace because each subsequent generation of students is getting more exposed to and more familiar with the modern technology. If teachers intend to impress students with the novelty approaches, they should be one step ahead of their students and try to balance between both worlds: unplugged and technology-based. In this paper, we present the prototype developed with the purpose of integrating physical objects and virtual elements of augmented reality (AR). The prototype was developed for touch-based devices (tablets or smartphones) and represents a step further in the process of creating the more engaging experience for students' learning of simple programming concepts.