Physical Bits: A live programming environment for educational robotics

Abstract

The use of physical computing devices as teaching tools presents several challenges for educators and learners. Most introductory programming environments help to learn programming by removing the possibility of syntax errors, usually by using a visual programming language. However, understanding syntax is just one aspect of the learning process. One of the most challenging tasks for students is to build a correct mental model of the underlying machine model and its execution dynamics. Additionally, visual programming languages present issues when transitioning to text-based languages. In this paper we present Physical Bits, a web-based programming environment for educational robotics that attempts to solve these issues by providing a live programming experience using both visual and textual programming languages.