We aim to find ways, tools and/or techniques that allow children in this age span to use programming language concepts to express rules and play with them. ToonTalk, with its visual, animated environment, and program-by-example methodology, seemed a very nice tool to start with. On this paper, we will present our experience using Portuguese ToonTalk with 7 children (5 were 4-year olds, 2 were 5year olds), in Vila Real (Portugal) kindergartens, from May to June of 2000. The most encouraging results, including the children's enthusiasm and the robots they managed to program, will be presented, along with some of the hurdles that require longer, broader research.

O trabalho aqui apresentado surgiu da integração da robótica educativa, mais concretamente o robô Valiant Roamer, em duas salas de Jardim de Infância. Faz parte de um processo de investigação/observação que durou dois anos letivos (2009/2010 e 2010/2011), envolvendo crianças de 3, 4 e 5 anos. Numa fase final deste processo de investigação, num dos Jardins de Infância, decidimos explorar a história “A casa da Mosca Fosca” e trabalhá-la com o robô Roamer. Envolvemo-nos assim no projeto, que abrangeu e possibilitou trabalhar as várias áreas de conteúdo definidas pelo Ministério da Educação para a Educação Pré-Escolar. O robô Roamer permite que crianças pequenas possam ver concretizadas em ações reais conceitos abstratos, tais como “número”, “direção” e “sequência”, dentro da área da Matemática. Para além disso permite que as crianças realizem atividades múltiplas, sendo responsáveis pelas suas ações e tendo a oportunidade de observar, manipular, verificar, partilhar, ajudar, raciocinar, criar, imaginar e desenvolver o espírito crítico e a linguagem oral. Para enquadramento das atividades com os robôs e a programação dos mesmos foi necessário realizar diversas experiências de aprendizagem, ao longo de vários meses, envolvendo crianças, educadoras e auxiliares. Ao longo desta comunicação apresentamos algumas das atividades realizadas, as dificuldades que surgiram, as motivações e interesses das crianças e o resultado final, que culminou na apresentação do mesmo aos pais e à comunidade.

Temos vindo a explorar a possibilidade de utilizar a programacao de computadores no jardim-de-infância, no âmbito da metodologia construcionista desenvolvida por Seymour Papert. Para o efeito, recorremos a linguagem ToonTalk, que permite a realizacao de programacao de computadores sob a forma de animacao, dispensando a leitura e a escrita. Este artigo da conta das estrategias que utilizamos e das constatacoes que efectuamos por observacao e experimentacao.

These thought are the result of work in progress, started in 1999, within the scope of the Trás-os-Montes Digital/SCETAD, project (sub-project: ICEI - Computers in Early Childhood Education Contexts). The work took place in Portuguese kindergarten rooms, with children aged 3, 4, 5 and 6. The ICEI sub-project aims to promote the use of ICT in a playful but pedagogical way, be it free or directed. This use is intended to occur within the scope of activities developed for the micro-spaces of the kindergarten activity room. Their main aims being: increased awareness of ICT among children; contributing for making children and teachers feel at ease with ICT; contribute for the identification of computer-usage and network-usage methodologies as teaching/learning tools.

We believe that computers should be introduced in kindergarten education under the same philosophy and methods employed for other elements of modern society. Children should be familiar with computers in general, not just with specific sets of skills. We see computer programming in particular as a way to empower children, allowing them to grasp fundamental computing concepts, and not fearing to use a computer in novel ways; they should be able to approach the computer-tool as an adaptable tool, without limited purposes. For the past three years, we conducted exploratory activities, to grasp overall problems and requirements that such research would face. Here we'll present main themes under evaluation and preliminary findings. We hope that the overall picture composed by this unprocessed data will serve as a basis for launching much-needed future research on this field, distinguishing computer activities among themselves.

Abstract We believe that computers should be introduced in kindergarten education under the same philosophy and methods employed for other elements of modern society. Children should be familiar with computers in general, not just with specific sets of skills. We see computer programming in particular as a way to empower children, allowing them to grasp fundamental computing concepts, and not fearing to use a computer in novel ways; they should be able to approach the computer-tool as an adaptable tool, without limited purposes. For the past three years, we conducted exploratory activities, to grasp overall problems and requirements

Como orientação para os educadores, foi desenvolvido um conjunto de actividades adequadas a contextos de educação pré-escolar (crianças dos 3 aos 5 anos, na presença de educadores), que se apoiam no videojogo - ou videobrinquedo - ToonTalk. Para permitir uma fácil compreensão e acompanhamento por parte de crianças e educadores, foi então desenvolvida uma forma gráfica de transmitir essas actividades, sob a forma de um livro. Neste documento apresentamos a forma como foram concebidas, desenvolvidas e elaboradas as actividades e como foi elaborado e testado o formato gráfico do livro. As a reference for teachers/educators, we developed a set of activities with preschool/kindergarten education in mind (children aged 3 to 5, alongside, with a teacher available), supported by the ToonTalk videogame (or videotoy). In order to allow children and teachers to easily understand and follow the activities, we then developed a graphic format to express them as a book. In this document, we present the method employed for designing, developing, and creating the activities, and we explain how the graphic format for the book was developed and tested.

We aim to find ways, tools and/or techniques that allow children in this age span to use programming language concepts to express rules and play with them. ToonTalk, with its visual, animated environment, and program-by-example methodology, seemed a very nice tool to start with. On this paper, we will present our experience using Portuguese ToonTalk with 7 children (5 were 4-year olds, 2 were 5- year olds), in Vila Real (Portugal) kindergartens, from May to June of 2000. The most encouraging results, including the children's enthusiasm and the robots they managed to program, will be presented, along with some of the hurdles that require longer, broader research.