Culturally Situated Design Tools: Animated Support Tools for Mathematics

Abstract

Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs) are web-based software applications that allow students to create simulations of cultural arts: Native American beadwork, African American cornrow hairstyles, urban graffiti, and so forth; using these underlying mathematical principles. CSDTs are the rationale of creating a set of culturally designed games utilizes gaming as a teaching tool to attract and instruct students with familiar methods and environments. This paper will review the development and evaluation of CSDTs, and discuss how various activities attempt to navigate through the potential dangers and rewards of this potent hybrid of information technology (CSDTs), traditional culture and individual creativity. Increasing accessibility to Computer Science and Technology is essential for a discipline that relies on creativity and diverse perspectives. Creating equity in Computer Science learning opportunities is also a social justice issue. With the educational research community having begun to explore the causes behind the underrepresentation of females and students of color in computing courses, outreach efforts have commenced to overcome these enrollment discrepancies. The purpose of this paper and project is to address these issues. The project we focused on out of the CSDT Series is the Break Dancer tool, located on the CSDT website. The Break Dancer tool is a software-simulated game that teaches 3-dimensional space or solid geometry. Real-world objects exist in 3-dimensions. In this project, the Break Dancer tool integrates the youth subculture, promotes physical activity, and makes it into an educational math game.