ABSTRACT
The Programmable Brick, a small autonomous computer with sensing and control abilities, has been a topic of educational research for almost two decades. The use of this tool has now reached beyond research projects through its commercial availability. However, high cost has strictly limited its audience to only well-funded schools and institutions. Can learning activities involving Programmable Bricks take place in an economically challenged context? In this paper, we present an attempt to challenge this question by presenting a new framework that turns the acquisition process of Programmable Bricks and its necessary materials into a rich learning process. We present the GoGo Board, a low-cost Programmable Brick that allows the user to actively participate in its production process. We discuss the use of found and broken materials as sources of construction supplies. We analyze two case studies from projects developed in Brazil from 2002 to 2003. Specifically, we discuss the design aspect of the GoGo board framework that allowed for diverse and socially relevant learning projects to take place.
