ReCrafting Computer Science:
Concretizing Computational Thinking Through Tangible Fiber Crafts

In this project, we build on previous work which demonstrates how textile production supports learning in computer science (CS) and mathematics, and show how moving the traditional CS curriculum beyond the screen and back to its tangible roots can positively impact domain learning, collaboration, and participation in CS. In this approach, the CS curriculum engages students in the construction, programming, and use of a robotic loom (i.e., DIY Jacquard Loom), foregrounding the inherently interdisciplinary nature of computational thinking in a formal computer science curriculum, a discipline that over-identifies computational thinking with computers themselves. As the project lead, Joey and her team propose that the narrow application of computational thinking as an activity that only occurs directly with computers may be a contributing factor to the under-representation of women and people of color in computer science. We theorize that the project activities that place computational thinking within a broader socio technical context will not only broaden participation and collaboration in computer science and STEM, but also expand definitions of what counts as a valuable learning activity in CS education.