Unit 1: The Role of Computational Thinking in Education
Return to: ETAP 623 Fall 2017 Section 7619 |Project Portfolio| Mini-Course: Infusing Computational Thinking in Every Classroom
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Unit Objectives
At the conclusion of this unit you will be able to:
- Define Computational Thinking and its four contributing factors (cornerstones)
- Appreciate the need for general knowledge of Computational Thinking in education
What is Computational Thinking?
Have you ever asked your students to perform a task or solve a problem? Have you used a computer today? (you are reading this so yes you have!) Have you ever used GPS software to find directions?
All of the questions above are directly related to the use of Computational Thinking!
Definition: Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer—human or machine—can effectively carry out.
Introduction to Computational Thinking
In this section you will gain an understanding of the role of Computational thinking in our world.
You are about to watch a video introducing computational thinking. In the video you will find interactive questions that will test your understanding. At the end of the video there is a summary activity to help reinforce the concepts, so don't stop too soon!
Watch this Introduction to Computational Thinking video to learn what Computational Thinking involves.
Test your Understanding!
In this section you will play a simple matching game to test your understanding of the four cornerstones of Computational Thinking!
Select the following link and see how you stack up!
The four cornerstones of Computational Thinking
1-Decomposition 2-Pattern Recognition
3-Abstraction 4-Algorithm Design
References
Wing, Jeannette (2014). "Computational Thinking Benefits Society". 40th Anniversary Blog of Social Issues in Computing.
What is Computational Thinking. (2016, October 26). Retrieved December 15, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJKzkVZcozc
Image Source:
Clipart - High Quality, Easy to Use, Free Support. (n.d.). Retrieved December 15, 2017, from https://openclipart.org/
Mini-Course: Infusing Computational Thinking in Every Classroom
Unit 1: The Role of Computational Thinking in Education
Unit 2: Computational Thinking in the Elementary Classroom
Unit 3: Computational Thinking in the Intermediate Level Classroom