Research

Overview

Cameron L. Fadjo, PhD, is an education systems architect and learning scientist exploring the instruction of abstract concepts in the fields of computer science and software engineering. He was previously a Research Scientist with the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University where he led two research groups.

Projects

iWorld
iWorld: Developing Computational Thinking Through Grounded Embodied Cognition
Can grounded embodied cognition be used to improve the instruction of computational thinking concepts and skills within a formal learning environment? In this project I examine how action and perception can be used to teach abstract computational concepts to middle school students during the construction of individual digital artifacts. Through a comprehensive, field-based curriculum for middle school students, I am exploring if grounded embodied cognition can be used to develop certain computational thinking skills (abstraction, decomposition, and pattern recognition) and concepts (conditional logic, loops, synchronization, and variables). As part of a three-week (15 day) curricular intervention, students create their own video games and/or digital stories using Scratch, a block-based programming language developed at the MIT Media Lab. Initial findings suggest that embodying movement during artifact construction leads to increased implementation of mathematical constructs (Fadjo & Black, 2010).
DMS3
DMS3: Direct Manipulation of Stories, Systems, and Symbols Using the iPad
Studies have shown that children improve their comprehension of unfamiliar words when manipulating toys in meaningful ways. This project examines the use of touch-based gestural interfaces, such as the use of Apple's iPad, in formal instructional settings to improve reading and listening comprehension. Using interactive stories, 2nd grade students read grade-level appropriate texts and directly manipulate the representative objects on the screen according to the actions and declarations in the text. Based on previous work by Glenberg (2004, 2009) and Segal (2010), we examine the relationships of gestures on comprehension and the effects of full versus partial manipulations.

A brief walkthrough of 'The Farm,' and iPad app for emergent readers, can be found by clicking on the following links:
The Farm (brief walkthrough)

Publications

Book Chapters

    2011
  • Black, J.B., Segal, A., Vitale, J., & Fadjo, C.L. (2012). Embodied Cognition and Learning Environment Design. In D. Jonassen & S. Lamb (Eds.), Theoretical foundations of student-centered learning environments. Routledge.

Select Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings*


*For a complete list of references, email Cameron at clf2110 [at] columbia [dot] edu

Teaching

Overview

I am an instructor in the Departments of Human Development and Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University.

I have recently joined the faculty at NYU Steinhardt to teach a new course on the design and development of mobile apps for educational research.

2012

Summer
EDCT-GE 2220: Current topics in developing learning technologies - Syllabus
Spring
HUDK 4035: Technology and Human Development - Syllabus

2011

Fall
EDUC 4201: Research in Education (Guest Lecturer - University of Belize)
Spring
HUDK 4035: Technology and Human Development - Syllabus
MSTU 5814: iPhone Application Programming in Education (Advanced Workshop) - Syllabus

2010

Fall
MSTU 4031: Object-Oriented Theory/Programming I - Syllabus
Spring
MSTU 4031: Object-Oriented Theory/Programming I - Syllabus
MSTU 5031: Object-Oriented Theory/Programming II - Syllabus
MSTU 5814: iPhone Application Programming in Education (Advanced Workshop) - Syllabus

2009

Fall
MSTU 4031: Object-Oriented Theory/Programming I - Syllabus
Summer
CE 5540: Computers, Curriculum, and Change - Syllabus
Spring
MSTU 4031: Programming I - Syllabus

2008

Fall
MSTU 4031: Programming I - Syllabus
Summer
CE 5540: Computers, Curriculum, and Change - Syllabus
Spring
CE 5150: Making Multimedia Useful - Syllabus

2007

Summer
CE 5180: Information Technology: Designing and Implementing Network Technology - Syllabus

Travel

2012

  • October 17 - 18: FabLearn 2012 at Stanford University
  • September 29 - 30: Maker Faire, NYC
  • July: Scratch@MIT Conference
  • July: International Conference of the Learning Sciences
  • May 20: TCETC, New York, NY
  • May 19: Scratch Day at UPenn, Philadelphia, PA
  • April: American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference in Vancouver, BC
  • February 6 - 8: Arizona State University

2011

  • October 17 - November 11: iWorld in New Hampshire
  • September 27 - September 30: Visiting Assistant Professor at University of Belize
  • September 19 - September 26: Technology Integration Project (TIP) at Monkey River (Belize)
  • July: The 33rd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci) in Boston, MA
  • May: Association for Psychological Science (APS) Annual Conference in Washington, DC
  • April: American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA
  • March: Association of Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (ACM SIGCSE) Annual Conference in Dallas, TX

2010

  • November 29 - December 3: iPhone Development, Metro Technology Centers, Oklahoma City, OK
  • September 21 - October 8: iWorld in New Hampshire
  • August 10 - August 14: The 32nd Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci) in Portland, OR
  • June 28 - July 2: Ed-Media 2010 in Toronto, CA

Bookshelf

Instructional Technology

Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology (2009)
by Allan Collins & Richard Halverson
Teachers College Press

Constructionism

Constructionism in Practice: Designing, Thinking, and Learning in a Digital World (1996)
by Yasmin B. Kafai & Mitchel Resnick (Eds.)
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers

Minds in Play: Computer Game Design as a Context for Children's Learning (1995)
by Yasmin B. Kafai
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers

The Children's Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer (1993)
by Seymour Papert
Basic Books

Constructionism (1991)
by Idit Harel & Seymour Papert
Ablex Publishing Corp.

Children Designers: Interdisciplinary Constructions for Learning and Knowing Mathematics in a Computer-Rich School (1991)
by Idit Harel
Ablex Publishing Corp.

Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (1980)
by Seymour Papert
Basic Books

Computing

Changing Minds: Computers, Learning, and Literacy (2001)
by Andrea A. diSessa
MIT Press

Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams: Explorations in Massively Parallel Microworlds (1997)
by Mitchel Resnick
MIT Press

Mirrors of Minds: Patterns of Experience in Educational Computing (1987)
by Roy D. Pea & Karen Sheingold (Eds.)
Ablex Publishing Corp.

Turtle Geometry: The Computer as a Medium for Exploring Mathematics (1986)
by Harold Abelson & Andrea diSessa
MIT Press

Grounded Embodied Cognition

Symbols and Embodiment: Debates on Meaning and Cognition (2008)
by Manuel de Vega, Arthur M. Glenberg, and Arthur C. Graesser (Eds.)
Oxford University Press

Embodied Grounding: Social, Cognitive, Affective, and Neuroscientific Approaches (2008)
by Gün R. Semin & Eliot R. Smith (Eds.)
Cambridge University Press

Ecological Optics

The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception (2008)
by James J. Gibson
Psychology Press

Contact

Cameron L. Fadjo
New York, NY
Email: clf2110 [at] columbia [dot] edu

CV available upon request