Touchdevelop As the Tool for Novice Programmers

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Touchdevelop As the Tool for Novice Programmers AASCIT Journal of Education 2017; 3(6): 54-60 http://www.aascit.org/journal/education ISSN: 2381-1293 (Print); ISSN: 2381-1307 (Online) Touchdevelop as the Tool for Novice Programmers Viktória Heizlerné Bakonyi Media & Educational Informatics Department, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary Email address [email protected] Citation Viktória Heizlerné Bakonyi. Touchdevelop as the Tool for Novice Programmers. AASCIT Journal of Education. Vol. 3, No. 6, 2017, pp. 54-60. Abstract Keywords Nowadays it is obvious that computational thinking must be part of general education due Computational Thinking, to our technical, computer oriented world. The task of schools are very important to give a Education, proper and adequate knowledge about informatics knowing that we have a very small First Programming Language, amount of teaching time for this enormous work. One of the most important questions is Touch Develop what kind of programming language should be the best to help understanding algorithms and modelling. There are lots of viewpoints that have to be taken to notice. The paper is going to analyse different possibilities and review their advantages and disadvantages. Although there are excellent and long standing programming tools, it is always interesting Received: April 29, 2017 to go through the newly appearing platforms, languages, teaching methods. Touch Develop Accepted: September 12, 2017 is one of these worthy of note possibilities which everyone has to evaluate in their practice. Published: November 13, 2017 1. Introduction In the last decades daily life changed very quickly due to the modern technology, since we are always surrounded by different kinds of computers, smart phones, smart TV-s, smart cars, smart homes that help us in almost everything. It is almost impossible to be able to take part in the life of a modern society without informatics knowledge. The youth was born into this new world (they are the so called digital natives), but usually the usage of technology and their working mechanism is not so evident for their parents and grandparents. Therefore the role of schools and education should be much more highly evaluated than in the case of other subjects. There are several solutions how education system could achieve this aim of giving an adequate informatics knowledge. In Hungary there are special informatics courses in different levels of public education, in other countries they integrate the knowledge into other subjects like mathematics etc. The next important question from our viewpoint is the content of the curricula. There are three main areas: a. application usage, as without it no one would join the e-world, computer science [1], b. computational thinking which helps us to understand the operation of computers and c. information technology. For a long time application usage was brought to the fore however now it is obvious that we should strengthen the other two fields as well. [2] In fact, there are very strict time-frames for informatics, therefore educators have to plan each step in advance, what to teach, which tools and which methods to achieve the best results with. 2. The Question of Choosing the FPL (First Programming Language) We state that the real aim is not to simply teach a programming language but to gain a 55 Viktória Heizlerné Bakonyi: Touchdevelop as the Tool for Novice Programmers tool to get to know the bases of informatics. Of course, the group and analyse the advantages and disadvantages of them. question of a good choice depends on lots of conditions. Some of them are: a. Motivation 3. The Type of First Programming 1 The topics (drawing, animation, robotics, simulation, Languages mobile platform etc.) 2 The easiness of first steps (syntax rules, the First we have to review what the main trends are nowadays. complexity of first programs, adequate editor) We can speak about three radically different possibilities [20]: b. Proceedings a. Picture/Image programming (e.g. Logo Imagine [12], 1 The features of general programming languages (data RoboMind [11]) structures, event-driven programming, modularity etc.) b. Block/Bubble/Visual programming (e.g. Scratch [12], 2 OOP possibilities (standard classes, inheritance, TurtleArt, MindStorm) levels of data access etc.) c. Regular programming languages (Pascal [14], Basic c. Support [27], JavaScript [10], C# [13], Python [28], Java [26], 1 Stability (several years old having a big online C++[25] etc.) community) The classification of them are decided by the mode how 2 Tutorials, books the user have to implement a program. In this paper we will 3 Forums, social network etc. give examples regarding to the popular languages. d. Teaching methods If we are speaking about text commanded Picture 1 Teacher (chalk, talk, demonstrate) programming (typically Logo) it is true that we have to 2 Learner (activity based, personalized, collaborative, remember some commands but they are executed expeditionary etc) based methods immediately and give visual feedbacks about the result just in First of all it is very important to lay down that the age and time. Seymour Papert (MIT= Massachusetts Institute of motivation of the actual students should be respected highly. Technology) implemented Logo just for children based on Students who prefer human sciences or those who like Piaget states about children thinking and problem solving. mathematics or natural sciences might be interested in Children have to control a small drawing robot. different programming environments. It is the responsibility of In case of a visual programming language like Scratch you the given teacher and school to make a decision knowing the have to concentrate only on the algorithm because you may given circumstances. (Of course, by choosing tasks the drag the required block-statement into the program and that educator may fine-tune this process.) At the end of the is all. Scratch was created at MIT also for the same purpose: secondary school 16-18 year old students’ abstraction ability is to teach programming to children. Nowadays Scratch is very quite different from that of a 6-8 year old child’s. Therefore the popular among them and their teachers. aim and the tool also differs – older students are preparing for In case of standard languages we need further graduation or to learn further in vocational training so it is classifications, as they may differ from each other greatly. more important for them to deal with languages which are Some of them are strongly typed languages, while some are well-known in university trainings and later in industry. [3] not. Some of them use classes for everything while some of But now we are talking about the first programming them hardly implement classes. Some of them are popular in language and we state that in the age of 8-10 each child is industry while some of them are mainly used by amateurs. already able to think logically according to Piaget Three features decide the popularity of a standard classifications (Stages of Cognitive Development programming language in education: the easy, consequence http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm ). and understandable syntax, the programming platforms it can Therefore the introduction to computer science may be be used for and its industrial importance. Figure 1 and Figure 2. started. Our aim is to sketch the alternatives for this age- Figure 1. TIOBE rating 2012 [23]. AASCIT Journal of Education 2017; 3(6): 54-60 56 draw, a robot controlling which is very popular among children but it is not so easy with a standard programming language. These standard programming languages are mainly used later in secondary schools. Moreover children above 14 are not so engaged in drawing or story telling than before so the strength of motivation of these languages decrease. “…but for older adolescents and college students, I would strongly suggest teaching them using a language that's actually in widespread use in the real world. Psychologically, it's reassuring for students to know that they are learning something that's actually used by professionals in the Figure 2. Applicability of programming languages. [23]. working world rather than something that was invented by researchers just for pedagogy.” [17] Elder students may Pascal was used in almost everywhere in public education enjoy e.g. JavaScript with which they are able to create own for decades [22 3.3] and it is used frequently nowadays too web-pages. [10], or C# with which they are able to create because it was created as a teaching language for mobile applications as well [13] programming. Basic (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Real world, working with sensors – information Instruction Code) was also popular for years due to the fact technology. Today almost every child plays on computers, that it was the base language of first personal computers and smart phones, tablets and have robots, speaking dolls, and users may create sprites, animations and music with simple controlled game-cars. These applications, devices are all able built in programming elements as well. C++ and later Java to handle events, to handle sensors. Children obviously like were in the focus of FPLs for decades because of their to create applications for these platforms. industrial importance, although C++ is not a really good Basic Scratch and Imagine handles the events like reaching choice because of its complexity. [17, 22] In the last decade the border or collision or clicking with the mouse. Moreover C# is also in the top 10, the reason of it is that it is easier than Scratch has got a module to use external sensors as well. C++ and in the same time it has an industrial role as well. Scratch Junior has got a special feature it is running on Nowadays for an introductory course in higher education mobile devices as well! Imagine Logo projects may run in Python is suggested mainly by the literature.
Recommended publications
  • Possibilities of Simulating Robot Generations in Public Education
    Possibilities of Simulating Robot Generations in Public Education ABONYI-TÓTH Andor Abstract. An important part of teaching robotics is describing different robot generations, which represent the characteristic stages of technological development. These generations are also identifiable in case of educational robots. The categories refer to the tasks and problems which can be solved with a given robot. However, the development of robot generations can also be presented to students with the help of algorithmization and coding tasks which simulate the behaviour of robots in a programming environment. These activities can prepare students to work with real educational robots or complement the activities they do with them. This article summarizes the opportunities and advantages of the simulation of robot generations, and shows a concrete example of their implementation. Keywords: Robotics, Robot Generations, Simulation, Scratch, RoboMind, VEXcode VR, Virtual Robotics Toolkit, MakeCode for LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3 1. Introduction When introducing students to robotics, it is worth assessing the existing knowledge children have about the topic. For that, first we have to define the equipment which children perceive as robots. It can be done in a brainstorming session when we collect the robots they know of and mention some tasks those robots can perform. [1] In these sessions, students often mention everyday objects (e.g. robot vacuum cleaners, robot lawn mowers, humanoid toy robots, industrial robots in an assembly plant, etc.) and fictional robots existing only in films and books (e.g. shape-shifting robots, doctor robots, combat robots). Of course, it is worth clarifying which robots actually exist, and which aspects of fictional robots are rooted in reality.
    [Show full text]
  • CAIS Author Template
    Indonesian Journal of Informatics Education Research Paper ISSN: 2549-0389 The Use of Robomind Application in Problem Based Learning Model to Enhance Student’s Understanding in the Conceptual Programming Algorithm Anggun Nofitasari Informatics Education Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Sebelas Maret University [email protected] Rosihan Ari Yuana Dwi Maryono Informatics Education Department,Faculty of Teacher Informatics Education Department, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education,Sebelas Maret University Training and Education,Sebelas Maret University Abstract: The purpose of this research was to improve understanding of basic programming algorithms concept of class X TKJ 1 SMK N 1 Banyudono on Basic Programming lesson using robomind application through Problem Based Learning model. This research was a Classroom Action Research, with research subjects were 33 students of class X TKJ 1 SMK N 1 Banyudono. This research was started by identifying the problems occured in the classroom. Then, we designed actions to solve the problem in a cycle of actions. In this research, the actions were done in two cycles. Each cycle consists of planning, implementation, observation and reflection. Data was collected by observation of the learning activities in the classroom and comprehension tests after each cycle. Analysis of the data was performed using quantitative and qualitative analysis interactive technique. The results showed that the implementation of the Problem Based Learning model using media assistance robomind applications could enhance students' understanding of the program algorithm. It is shown by the completeness of comprehension tests on pre-cycle 37.5%, 44.8% in the first cycle, and 93.3% in the second cycle.
    [Show full text]
  • Teaching Saudi Children How to Code
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY Meccawy, M. (2017). Raising a programmer: Teaching Saudi children how to Code. International Journal of Educational Technology, 4(2), 56-65. OPEN IJET Original Paper ACCESS Journal homepage: http://educationaltechnology.net/ijet/ Raising a programmer: Teaching Saudi children how to code Maram Meccawy* Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia KEYWORDS A B S T R A C T Programming Teaching computer coding to children from a young age provides with them a Arab children competitive advantage for the future in a continually changing workplace. Programming IT strengthens logical and critical thinking as well as problem solving skills, which lead to Software creative solutions for today’s problems. The Little Programmer is an application for E-learning mobile devices that introduces the basic programming concepts to Arab children aged Mobile learning (8-12) years. It aims to develop a sense of coding and its importance among those Visualization children. User trials results showed that the application was helpful and allowed its users Interactive interface to identify the concepts of computer programming with immense curiosity. Moreover, it showed that linking difficult or newer concepts to familiar entities and objects through visualization can facilitate the learner to grasp innovative knowledge. Introduction Technology has enforced a great influence on the daily practices. Many individuals utilize various technologies to improve their lifestyle. IT specialists employ functional tools for performing differential activities efficiently. The basic aim of this study is to identify the awareness level of computer programming among youngsters in Saudi Arabia. Individuals, who are sanctified with creative ideas and possess the necessary technical skills to transform their ideas into reality, have made a great fortune over the last two decades in the IT industry.
    [Show full text]
  • “Hour of Code”: a Case Study
    Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ) 16 (1) ISSN: 1545-679X February 2018 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Hour of Code”: A Case Study Jie Du [email protected] Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI, 49401, USA Hayden Wimmer [email protected] Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA, 30460, USA Roy Rada [email protected] University of Maryland Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA Abstract This study investigates the delivery of the “Hour of Code” tutorials to college students. The college students who participated in this study were surveyed about their opinion of the Hour of Code. First, the students’ comments were discussed. Next, a content analysis of the offered tutorials highlights their reliance on visual programming in stylized languages with continual feedback in gaming contexts. Difficulties in delivery stem in part from the poor organization of tutorials from Code.org which makes it difficult to locate suitable tutorials. Based on the analysis of the students’ comments and the content analysis of the “Hour of Code” tutorials, the authors suggest that a deeper alignment of marketing, teaching organizations, and content providers would help sustain the type of initiative exemplified by the Hour of Code. Keywords: Advocacy, Hour of Code, code.org, online tutorials, introductory computer programming, survey, literature review. 1. INTRODUCTION year-round funding (Crutchfield et al., 2011). Such conclusions about historical continuity, Much has been written about efforts to spread personnel training, and funding have been re- computer science education. The difficulties that discovered time and again as crucial to education. students face in learning to program have been Many other pre-conditions for a successful studied by Kinnunen and Simon (2012).
    [Show full text]
  • Engagement Taxonomy for Introductory Programming Tools
    Vilnius university Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies L I T H U A N I A INFORMATICS ENGINEERING (T007) MODELING THE SYSTEM FOR INTERACTIVE TASKS DEVELOPMENT: ENGAGEMENT TAXONOMY FOR INTRODUCTORY PROGRAMMING TOOLS Tomas Šiaulys October 2020 Technical Report DMSTI-DS-T007-20-08 VU Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies, Akademijos str. 4, Vilnius LT-08412, Lithuania www.mii.lt Abstract One of the main ideas behind these introductory programming environments is introducing basic programming concepts more effectively by incorporating different visualization strategies. There have been attempts to classify introductory programming tools, however, certain critical aspects have not yet been discussed within the existing classifications, especially those related to user engagement in the programming environment. In this paper we introduce an engagement taxonomy for introductory programming tools (ETIP) built on a concept of engagement taxonomy for software visualization and previous classifications of programming learning tools. The new taxonomy is then used to inclusively review introductory programming environments for secondary education used today. Our review illustrates how majority of introductory programming tools do not fully explore the ways visualizations could help with tackling the problems of beginner programming comprehension. This report includes excerpts from the paper to be presented at the ISSEP 2020 conference. Keywords: Introductory programming, software visualization, engagement taxonomy DMSTI-DS-T007-20-08
    [Show full text]
  • Tappan Zee High School Curriculum Guide 2015-2016
    TAPPAN ZEE HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM GUIDE 2015-2016 Tappan Zee High School 15 Dutch Hill Road ● Orangeburg, NY 10962 ● (845) 680-1600 ● Fax (845) 680-1950 Jennifer L. Amos, Ph.D. Juliet L. Gevargis Principal Assistant Principal (845) 680-1606 (845) 680-1650 [email protected] [email protected] Richard J. Neidhart Assistant Principal (845) 680-1655 [email protected] Dear Students: Planning your high school academic plan is an important step in your journey. This Curriculum Guide is a resource to assist you and your family in this process, as it provides an overview of each course and pre-requisite coursework to prepare you for this new material. In addition to courses required for graduation, we also offer a wide selection of electives. Please review these options carefully with your family, and make well-informed decisions as you develop your long-term academic and career goals. Teachers and guidance counselors are ready to help you and your family formulate an academic plan to realize your goals, but putting that plan into action is up to you. We are here to encourage and assist you as you challenge more demanding and exciting programs. We look forward to our continued work together. Sincerely, Jennifer L. Amos, Ph.D. Principal South Orangetown Central School District SOUTH ORANGETOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT Van Wyck Road, Blauvelt, New York 10913-1299 (845) 680-1000 Board of Education Mrs. Annmarie Uhl, President Mr. Guy DeVincenzo, Vice President Mr. Leon Jacobs Mr. Dan Lamadrid Mrs. Rosemary Pitruzzella Superintendent of Schools To Be Determined Deputy Superintendent for Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Aplicaciones Complementarias a ROBOCODE Que Faciliten El Aprendizaje De Programación En Escuelas Secundarias Autor: Vanessa Del Carmen Aybar Rosales Director: Lic
    Título: Aplicaciones complementarias a ROBOCODE que faciliten el aprendizaje de programación en escuelas secundarias Autor: Vanessa del Carmen Aybar Rosales Director: Lic. Claudia Queiruga Codirector: Lic. Claudia Banchoff Asesor profesional: Carrera: Licenciatura en Informática (Plan 90) R.I.T.A. es una aplicación destinada a cualquier usuario que quiera dar sus primeros pasos en programación. El objetivo de R.I.T.A. es lograr que cualquier persona interesada en aprender a programar pueda centrar la atención en la lógica de programación, evitando la frustración que pudiera surgir al enfrentarse a los problemas de errores sintaxis de un lenguaje de programación particular, y en su lugar motivándolo a continuar indagando y probando sobre la herramienta. En forma simultánea, el usuario final se va familiarizando con conceptos básicos de programación, programación orientada a objetos y el lenguaje Java. El mecanismo empleado en R.I.T.A. para la creación de algoritmos es la técnica de programación en bloques. La temática de los algoritmos consiste en la programación de robots capaces de combatir en un campo de batalla. El ganador de la batalla será el robot que implementó la mejor estrategia de combate. R.I.T.A. genera código fuente JAVA a medida que el usuario de la aplicación compone la estrategia conectando bloques, y de manera transparente brinda la posibilidad de compilar a bytecode y disparar la ejecución contra otros robots. R.I.T.A. es una aplicación de código abierto, escrita en Java y construída integrando OpenBlocks y Robocode. ° algoritmos A partir de la evaluación realizada con docentes y ° lógica de programación alumnos de escuelas secundarias, se probó que ° programación en bloques R.I.T.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Bilgisayar Ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Eğitimi Ana Bilim Dalı KODLAMA
    Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Eğitimi Ana Bilim Dalı KODLAMA EĞİTİMİNDE ROBOT KULLANIMININ ORTAOKUL ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN ERİŞİ, MOTİVASYON VE PROBLEM ÇÖZME BECERİLERİNE ETKİSİ Fatih ÖZER Yüksek Lisans Tezi Ankara, 2019 Liderlik, araştırma, inovasyon, kaliteli eğitim ve değişim ile Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Eğitimi Ana Bilim Dalı KODLAMA EĞİTİMİNDE ROBOT KULLANIMININ ORTAOKUL ÖĞRENCİLERİNİN ERİŞİ, MOTİVASYON VE PROBLEM ÇÖZME BECERİLERİNE ETKİSİ EFFECT OF USING ROBOTICS IN TEACHING CODING ON ACHIEVEMENT, MOTIVATION AND PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS Fatih ÖZER Yüksek Lisans Tezi Ankara, 2019 Kabul ve Onay Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü Müdürlüğüne, Fatih ÖZER’in hazırladığı “Kodlama Eğitiminde Robot Kullanımının Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Erişi, Motivasyon ve Problem Çözme Becerilerine Etkisi” başlıklı bu çalışma jürimiz tarafından Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Ana Bilim Dalı, Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Bilim Dalında Yüksek Lisans Tezi olarak kabul edilmiştir. Bu tez Hacettepe Üniversitesi Lisansüstü Eğitim, Öğretim ve Sınav Yönetmeliği’nin ilgili maddeleri uyarınca yukarıdaki jüri üyeleri tarafından 10 / 07 / 2019 tarihinde uygun görülmüş ve Enstitü Yönetim Kurulunca ..... / ..... / ......... tarihinde kabul edilmiştir. Prof. Dr. Ali Ekber ŞAHİN Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü Müdürü i Öz Bu araştırmanın amacı, kodlama eğitiminde robot kullanımının 5. ve 6. sınıf öğrencilerinin erişi, motivasyon ve problem çözme becerilerine etkisini belirlemektir. Araştırma Bolu ili Merkez ilçesinde 87 öğrenciyle yürütülmüştür. Yarı deneysel desenlerden kontrol gruplu ön test – son test deney modeline göre hazırlanan araştırmada, altı haftalık temel programlama eğitiminin ardından, deney grubu öğrencileri altı hafta süresince robot kullanarak kodlama öğrenirken kontrol grubu öğrencileri aynı süre boyunca robot kullanmadan kodlama öğrenmişlerdir. Araştırma kapsamında veri toplama aracı olarak “Kişisel Bilgi Formu”, “Programlama Erişi Testleri”, “Çocuklar İçin Problem Çözme Envanteri” ve “Motivasyon Ölçeği” kullanılmıştır.
    [Show full text]
  • An Evaluation of Programming Assistance Tools to Support the Learning of IT Programming: a Case Study in South African Secondary Schools
    An Evaluation of Programming Assistance Tools to Support the Learning of IT Programming: A Case Study in South African Secondary Schools by Melisa Koorsse Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor in Computer Science at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Promoter: Prof C.B. Cilliers Co-Promoter: Prof. A.P. Calitz January 2012 Declaration I, Melisa Koorsse (199201064), hereby declare that the thesis for my qualification to be awarded is my own work and that it has not previously been submitted for assessment or completion of any postgraduate qualification to another University or for another quali- fication. M. Koorsse Copyright © 2012 Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University All rights reserved. ii Summary Worldwide, there is a decline in interest in the computer science profession and in the subject at secondary school level. Novice programmers struggle to understand introduc- tory programming concepts and this difficulty of learning to program is contributing to the lack of interest in the field of computer science. Information Technology (IT) learners in South African secondary schools are novice programmers, introduced to introductory programming concepts in the subject which also includes topics on hardware and system software, e-communication, social and ethical issues, spreadsheets and databases. The difficulties faced by IT learners are worsened by the lack of suitably qualified teachers, a saturated learning programme that allocates very little time to the understanding of complex programming concepts and limited class time where practical examples can be implemented with the support of the IT teacher. This research proposes that IT learners could be supported by a programming assistance tool (PAT).
    [Show full text]
  • Design of Amharic Programming Language
    DESIGN OF AMHARIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE ERMIAS TEFERA TEFERA ERMIAS WITH A PROTOTYPE OF TOKENIZER AND PARSER ALAMREW FOR SELECTED CONSTRUCTS A THESIS SUBMITED TO THE GRADUATE TOKENIZER AND PARSER FOR SELECTED CONSTRUCTS SELECTED FOR PARSER AND TOKENIZER DESIGN OF AMHARIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE WITH A WITH LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING AMHARIC OF DESIGN SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES OF NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY By ERMIAS TEFERA In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Software Engineering PROTOTYPE OF OF PROTOTYPE 2019 NEU NICOSIA, 2019 DESIGN OF AMHARIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE WITH A PROTOTYPE OF TOKENIZER AND PARSER FOR SELECTED CONSTRUCTS A THESIS SUBMITED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF APPLIED SCIENCES OF NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY By ERMIAS TEFERA ALAMREW In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Software Engineering NICOSIA, 2019 ERMIAS TEFERA ALAMREW: DESIGN OF AMHARIC PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE WITH A PROTOTYPE OF TOKENIZER AND PARSER FOR SELECTED CONSTRUCTS Approval of Director of Graduate School of Applied Science Prof. Dr. Nadire ÇAVUŞ We certify this thesis is satisfactory for the award of the degree of Master of Science in Software Engineering Examining Committee in Charge: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yöney Kırsal EVER Department of Software Engineering, NEU Department of Information Systems Engineering, Asst. Prof. Dr. Boran Şekeroğlu NEU Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamil Dimililer Supervisor, Department of Automotive Engineering, NEU I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conducts. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.
    [Show full text]
  • REPORTS Cyprus Olympiad in Informatics
    Olympiads in Informatics, 2019, Vol. 13, 193–200 193 © 2019 IOI, Vilnius University DOI: 10.15388/ioi.2019.12 REPORTS Cyprus Olympiad in Informatics Panayiotis ERACLEOUS1, Pavlos PAVLIKAS1, Adamos TTOFARI2, Andronikos CHARALAMPOUS2 1Ministry of Education and Culture 2University of Cyprus e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract. This report presents the organization of the Cyprus Olympiad in Informatics in terms of the format used for each age group and the methods and tools utilized for the preparation and selection of the delegations of Cyprus for international competitions. Keywords: Cyprus, International Olympiad in Informatics, Balkan Olympiad in Informatics, computer science, computer programming, curriculum, gymnasium, lyceum. 1. Introduction – Educational System in Cyprus Education in Cyprus starts at the age of six and is divided into elementary and secondary education. Secondary education is divided into two levels – Gymnasium (ages 12–15) and Lyceum (ages 15–18). The Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC), introduced Computers Science in Lyceums in the early 1990s. Computer Science was mandatory only in the first grade of the Lyceum, for two class periods per week. Students could choose to take the course in the second and third grade. LOGO and QBASIC were the programming languages used in the initial course. A significant change was made in the early 2000s. Computer Science was made mandatory for all three grades of the Gymnasium. It was also introduced as an elective 194 P. Eracleous et al. course for the second and third grade of the Lyceum. Flow charts, Visual Basic and Pas- cal were the tools used to improve the algorithmic way of thinking of students.
    [Show full text]
  • A Spanish-Based Programming Language
    Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research Volume 3 2017 Tango: A Spanish-Based Programming Language Ashley M. Zegiestowsky Butler University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/bjur Part of the Programming Languages and Compilers Commons, and the Spanish Linguistics Commons Recommended Citation Zegiestowsky, Ashley M. (2017) "Tango: A Spanish-Based Programming Language," Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 3 , Article 11. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/bjur/vol3/iss1/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Scholarship at Digital Commons @ Butler University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Butler University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Tango: A Spanish-Based Programming Language Cover Page Footnote Thank you to Ankur Gupta and Alex Quintanilla for feedback on an earlier version of this thesis. This article is available in Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research: https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/bjur/vol3/ iss1/11 BUTLER JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, VOLUME 3 TANGO: A SPANISH-BASED PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE ASHLEY M. ZEGIESTOWSKY, BUTLER UNIVERSITY MENTOR: JONATHAN SORENSON Abstract The first part of this article deals with the creation of my own Spanish-based programming language, Tango, using Spanish key words (instead of English key words). The second part relates to the design and implementation of a compiler that follows the grammar rules outlined in the Tango language in order to successfully lexically analyze, parse, semantically analyze, and generate code for Tango. This article begins with a description of the specific goals achieved in the Tango language, an explanation and brief examples of the Tango Grammar, a high-level overview of the compiler design and data structures used, and concludes with ideas for future work and helpful advice.
    [Show full text]