NextBlocks: An Interactive Block Programming Platform

Since Seymour Papert's work with the Logo programming language in the 1960s, there has been a prevailing belief in the effectiveness of visual programming environments for teaching programming to children and novices. As these platforms evolved and became more prevalent, using block programming to teach children and beginners became increasingly more common. However, modern block programming platforms like Scratch and Code.org excessively restrict educators by not allowing them to create custom exercises in the platform. They also tend to make programming a solo activity, not allowing for collaboration and cooperation between learners (Scratch is an exception in this regard). Additionally, they are usually located in standalone websites instead of being implemented in locations that students already frequent regularly. Having identified these gaps in the field of block programming environments, this paper proposes NextBlocks, a new block programming platform implemented as a Moodle plugin. This platform enables educators to create custom exercises, emphasizing social perception and collaboration features. It supports features that are uncommon in block programming environments, contributing to a more interactive and engaging learning experience. Furthermore, being integrated into the Moodle Learning Management System makes NextBlocks more easily accessible within the educational framework. As an open-source platform, besides solving current challenges, it can also serve as a foundation for future expansion by the education community. This paper explores some of the unique features of NextBlocks, presents a case study on the platform, and discusses its potential contributions to enhancing programming education for beginners within a collaborative learning environment.