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Synergistic learning of computational thinking (CT) and STEM has proven to be an effective method for enhancing CT education as well as advancing learning in many STEM domains. Domain Specific Modeling Languages (DSML) facilitate the building of computational modeling frameworks that are directly linked to STEM content, thus making it easier for students to focus on concepts and practices. At the same time, teachers can more easily relate curricular content to the model building tasks. This paper discusses the design, development, and implementation of a robotics DSML to support a middle school geometry curriculum. 

The impact of robotics has grown beyond research laboratories and industrial facilities into home environments and primary and secondary school classrooms. Of particular interest to us are robots for education. In general, educational robotics kits are expensive and proprietary, or cheap and unreliable. This research seeks to bridge that gap by providing a hands-on open-source robotics learning environment that is both inexpensive and reliable. In this paper, we review the applicability of such environments to support the synergistic learning of computational thinking (CT) and STEM, with an emphasis on Computer Science (CS) concepts and practices. The CT and Advanced Placement CS Principles frameworks (from the US) govern the design and implementation of our system. We discuss the hardware system of the robot and the accompanying software architecture that runs on Linux-based single board computers. We conclude with results from a small pilot study analyzing the usability and curricular effectiveness of the system. 

The impact of robotics has grown beyond research laboratories and industrial facilities into home environments and primary and secondary school classrooms. Of particular interest to us are robots for education. In general, educational robotics kits are expensive and proprietary, or cheap and unreliable. This research seeks to bridge that gap by providing a hands-on open-source robotics learning environment that is both inexpensive and reliable. In this paper, we review the applicability of such environments to support the synergistic learning of computational thinking (CT) and STEM, with an emphasis on Computer Science (CS) concepts and practices. The CT and Advanced Placement CS Principles frameworks (from the US) govern the design and implementation of our system. We discuss the hardware system of the robot and the accompanying software architecture that runs on Linux-based single board computers. We conclude with results from a small pilot study analyzing the usability and curricular effectiveness of the system.