Workshop (Des)cifradores de mensajes: a way to present the inner workings of a compiler to children aged 6 to 12 from artistic experimentation

Abstract

This paper presents the use of a workshop as a tool to bring children from 6 to 12 years old closer to the inner workings of a computer from a fundamentally creative and experimental perspective. The main objective of this workshop is for the participants to understand what programming languages are and their function as a means of communication between people and computers. Activities are proposed in which, through analogies and comparisons with those aspects that programming languages share with natural languages –such as the idea of translation or transmission of information through writing, it is possible to experiment with the creation of our own coding system and to understand the function of programming languages and compilers. In this way, participants are able to gain insight into how machines receive and process the information we give them without needing to use technical terminology. Nowadays, it is considered essential to learn programming from a very early age, sometimes not with the aim of increasing children’s personal creativity but rather with the purpose of preparing their brains for a possible future job in the technology sector. This article presents a case in which experimentation is proposed to discover the components and internal processes of a computer, using both analog and digital means. The methodology used, the theoretical framework, the development and the conclusions drawn after the workshop and after receiving a survey filled out by each of the participants are described. The workshop lasted 180 minutes and was held at Etopia: Centro de Arte y Tecnología (Zaragoza, Spain).