My Robot can tell stories: Introducing robotics and physical computing to children using dynamic dioaramas

From time immemorial, stories have caught the fascination of young and old. Rural children in India, in particular, have a natural way of telling stories that are rooted in their heritage of social norms, values, and belief systems that are compelling and emotionally engaging. The process of writing and narrating their own stories enhances their verbal proficiency and makes them reflect deeply upon the story theme, thereby enabling them to develop higher-order thinking. In this research study, the author used stories to introduce physical computing and robotics to children in rural India in a personally meaningful manner. Children created interactive cultural dioramas based on classical stories from Indian folklore with robotic puppets that they programmed using the Scratch programming language. They learned 21st-century skills of creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking by working in groups wherein they learned to divide tasks, manage time, work together, debate the pros and cons of different ideas, listen, think out of the box, and be active and engaged. The author observed that such an intervention improved the children's sense of agency and their interest in robotics and computational thinking. The author presents her results from pilot studies conducted in 2019 from two semi-urban schools in India on the children's perception of creating robots, programming, tinkering with electronics, career in robotics, and the workshop experience itself - all of which suggests that the children were deeply engaged and enthusiastic throughout the workshop making the entire learning experience a meaningful and joyful one for all. The results indicate that such culturally sensitive interventions can help children from collectivistic cultures embrace technology while preserving their traditional identities and cultural cohesion.