Designing Collaborative ScratchJr for Multi-touch Tabletops

Abstract

Teaching fundamental aspects of computer science at pre-university levels has been a relevant topic for several years. Visual programming environments based on block-based languages, such as Scratch, have gained prominence due to their ability to simplify entry into the complex field of programming. This work focuses on ScratchJr, a user-friendly environment specifically designed for early childhood and primary education. Collaborative learning is one of the most effective and widely used methodologies in classrooms.With this in mind, our research centers on designing a collaborative interface that enables group work among multiple students within a shared workspace. This workspace will be deployed on a multitouch table, leveraging the advantages provided by such devices. These advantages include enhanced collaboration and the need for hands-on experiences for young learners. We present the interface design process, which began with a participatory and collaborative approach involving students from early childhood and primary education degrees. Following this, we proceeded with both low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototyping stages.