Learning with CyberPLAYce, a cyber-physical learning environment for elementary students promoting computational expression

Abstract

CyberPLAYce is our novel, interactive-computational construction kit for elementary school children and their teachers. CyberPLAYce bridges the physical and digital worlds, allowing young students to bring their ideas, stories and class subjects to life through the construction of cyber-physical environments. The CyberPLAYce construction kit is comprised of handsized, magnetic modules integrating a variety of electronic components, and rectangular panels, nearly two-feet measured diagonally, that receive the modules and serve as physical building blocks for constructing cyber-physical environments imagined by children. Through play, children become comfortable with the working modules and panels; subsequently, they are provided matching non-electronic module cards allowing them to quickly compose pattern sequences to map ideas, stories and class content. Additionally, students are provided action and story cards to spark their imagination. CyberPLAYce merges play and learning in the physical world while transitioning students from consumers of virtual and digital-centric technologies into technological innovators and cyberplayful storytellers.

Play—An essential part of children’s lives and their computational empowerment

“…For example, when speaking about physicality, Peer et al (2011) support the development of physical skills as well as kinesthetic literacy through exertion games. Tangible interfaces and physical interaction supporting programs and activities for children also bring out physicality as a play form (Creighton, 2010;Freed, 2010;Freed et al, 2010;Meyers et al, 2010;Goh et al, 2011;Soleimani et al, 2014). More generally, studies have examined how tech might or might not support rich forms of urban play (Altarriba Bertran et al, 2022).…”