McNerney, Timothy (2004). From Turtles to Tangible Programming Bricks: Explorations in physical language design. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, vol. 8, issue 5, pp. 326–337.

Abstract

This article provides a historical overview of educational computing research at MIT from the mid-1960s to the present day, focusing on physical interfaces. It discusses some of the results of this research: electronic toys that help children develop advanced modes of thinking through free-form play. In this historical context, the article then describes and discusses the author’s own research into tangible programming, culminating in the development of the Tangible Programming Bricks system—a platform for creating microworlds for children to explore computation and scientific thinking.