Fostering creativity in computer science classes by telling stories

Creative thinking and mastery of computer science skills are two important competencies in the 21st century. This article outlines an approach to help students foster their creativity while learning programming concepts. The Story Cards make use of the Calliope mini, a microcontroller which allows for a physical computing approach. When a student has learned a new programming concept, he or she receives the corresponding Story Card. The goal of the cards is for students not only to build things but also to tell stories using their acquired programming skills.