What's the fun in informatics? Working to capture children and teachers into the pleasure of computing

Abstract

The importance of computer science education in secondary, and even primary school, has been pointed out by many authors. But too often pupils only experience ICT, both at home and at school, and confuse it with computer science. We organized a game-contest, the Kangourou of Informatics, with the aim to attract all pupils (not only the talented ones), expose them to the scientific aspects of informatics in a fun way, and convey a correct conception of the discipline. Peculiarities of the game are its focus on team work and on engaging pupils in discovering what lays behind what they experience every day. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.