Educational Robotics as a boundary object: Towards a research agenda
Laura Malinverni, Cristina Heierle Valero, Marie-Monique Schaper, Isabel Garcia de la Cruz
Abstract
Educational robotics has become each time more present in the educational experiences of children and young people. Nonetheless, often, the way in which robotics is introduced in educational settings has been considered as unnecessarily narrow. The paper aims at widening the scope of Educational Robotics and expanding the pedagogical possibilities of this field. To this end, the paper draws on the outcomes of two case studies carried out with primary and secondary school children aimed at investigating their views about robots. These studies allow framing and identifying five themes we believe are particularly relevant to rethink the pedagogy of Educational Robotics. Using these themes as cornerstones for reflection, we delineate a set of dimensions and paths to move Educational Robotics beyond the focus on technical skills but instead explore its potential as a boundary object to involve children in reflective processes around the ethical, social and cultural implications of emerging intelligent technologies.