This article summarizes a contribution that we, together with Maria Berrocal, will be presenting at the "IX Congreso Universidad y Cooperación al Desarrollo" from November 27th to 29th in Alcalá (Spain). After several years of working on creative computing projects in South Indian schools, we have learned a crucial lesson: local culture is key to making education meaningful. Our contribution focuses on how culturally relevant elements can transform the learning experience in underrepresented communities. This is part of the ongoing Inventors4Change project, where we continue to explore innovative ways to connect culture, creativity, and technology.
Our recent work in the Bangalore region in September 2024 involved designing and implementing activities that merged computational thinking with cultural expressions familiar to the students. These included creating geometric kolams, designing digital kalamkari block prints, and narrating stories using shadow puppetry inspired by the traditional tholu bommalata. By connecting these rich cultural practices with programming tools like Scratch and Octostudio, we aimed to make learning relevant, hands-on, and, most importantly, fun. Nine workshops were conducted across several schools and community organizations, including Parikrma Foundation, Shanti Bhavan, The Valley School, Paper Crane Lab, Fig Tree Learning Centre, and the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP).
Culturally Relevant Coding (CRC) offers an intersection between computational thinking and students' lived experiences. Rather than seeing computing education as a distant or abstract domain, our workshops showed how technology could be a tool for expressing one's culture and identity. Students were encouraged not only to learn the basics of coding but to explore their artistic skills, question traditional gender roles (such as kolams typically being made by women), and reflect on how their heritage shapes the way they approach problems.
The impact of these activities was encouraging. Students showed progress in both technical and artistic skills, engaged with local cultural knowledge, and began to build a bridge between traditional forms of expression and the digital world. Our experience in Bangalore also highlighted the value of involving teachers and community organizations in these activities, suggesting that this approach could extend beyond a single workshop to contribute to local education practices.
We look forward to presenting these findings at the conference, where we hope to connect with others interested in innovative educational strategies that foster both technological skills and cultural awareness. We believe that by celebrating cultural diversity in computing education, we can inspire students to become not just consumers of technology, but creative contributors to their communities.
Once our contribution has been presented, we will share the article in Spanish and its English translation through this website.
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