Information and communication technology (ICT) has been questioned extensively throughout recent years and is often considered unsatisfactory and antiquated (Society, 2012). However, a new computing curriculum will be incorporated into school systems in order to replace existing frameworks. This new paradigm focuses heavily on programing and critical thinking, largely at the primary level of schooling. The existing ICT curriculum was considered insufficient and unsatisfactory, consequently highlighting the need for change. Nonetheless, basic ICT applications need to be considered when producing new curriculum in order to expand on familiar principles that students utilize (Gov.uk, 2013). This project aims to develop a new resource to enhance collaborative programming in UK schools for pupils studying at Key Stage 3 level, i.e., 11–14 year olds. The project started with a review and evaluation of the available tools for collaborative pair programming, such as Scratch Programming (Scratch, 2014), in order to determine their suitability for use in multi-touch tables. Then, the tool Turtle Art (Turtle Art, 2014) was selected to receive further development to be run on a multi-touch table. In the final stage, the usability of the new software, in terms of collaborative pair programming, will be tested and evaluated against the project goals. The new resource software is intended to be used as an environment for collaborative learning and pair programming, and a number of studies have proven that these educational methods provide an improved quality of education within the curriculum of school systems (see, for example, Wilson et al., 1993; Yerion and Rinehart, 1995; and McKinney and Denton, 2006 for collaborative learning and Nosek, 1998; Williams et al., 2000a, 2000b; Cockburn et al., 2000; Williams et al., 2001; Mcdowell et al., 2002; Gallis et al., 2003; Cao and Xu, 2005; Brereton et al., 2009; Goel et al., 2010; Rick et al., 2011; and Harlow and Leak, 2014 for pair programming). Thus, the proposed resource software can be beneficial when used for collaborative learning and pair programming for many reasons such as the following: • It helps in collective decision-making and problem-solving, which leads to enhanced learning and development. • It focuses on the development of skills that are necessary for employment in contemporary industries. • It is more enjoyable for developers, increases work satisfaction, and promotes student learning. • It leads to better student activity engagement. • It contributes to enhancing the level of student understanding with regard to programming modules. • It makes students more confident in their work as well as more positive about programming. • It encourages the development of problem-solving aptitudes. • It provides more efficiency and quality in understanding the processes that one needs to go through in programing to solve problems. • It helps students create new ideas and ways to interact with new technologies. • It encourages participants to practice problem-solving skills in practical circumstances.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)