Resources to Learn about and Teach Computational Thinking

1. Jennette M Wing

Why is this a good resource?

• Clearly explains the concepts
• Creativity is computational
• Gives clear examples of how this fits into many disciplines
• Discusses the need for this skill in the future workplaces
• Addresses the why for computational thinking
• https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~15110-s13/Wing06-ct.pdf

This video may not be the best for using with students, because they may find themselves overwhelmed with information. It gives the impression of one way of doing things, and it may not work completely with spatial students. It may also give students who were not exposed to this in their high school courses one more thing to catch up on.

2. Computational thinking with Scratch

• http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/ct/defining.html

Computational thinking with Scratch

• http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/ct/defining.html
• Concepts - sequence, loops, events, data
• Practices - experimenting, testing, debugging, abstraction
• Perspectives - expressing, questioning, connecting
• Additional sources and references

Advantages:

• Clear definitions
• Concepts, practices and perspectives listed
• Uses self-reflection for growth
• Simplifies deconstruction
• Easier learner documentation
• Additional resources listed

This is a great resource to help with starting out with Scratch, and creating new assignments. It has clear definitions and methods for using Scratch as a tool.

3. Unplugged - Computational Thinking

Advantages

• This allows students to understand how to create instructions
• Puts the control into the hands of the students
• Creative activity
• Allows students to understand deconstruction
• Group activity

This will be used in clas to help students understand not only deconstruction but how to create an algorithm. It's good because it's not on the computer, so it allows students to work together and then immediately see if they created a working algorithm.

4. Operational Definition of Computational Thinking for K–12 Education

Computational thinking

• formulating problems
• logical organizing and representing of data
• Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking
• • Identifying, analyzing, and implementing possible solutions
• Generalizing and transferring this problem solving process

This reminds me that the power of this process is the process = organization is KEY and if a fundamental skill

Computational Thinking: A Digital Age https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ918910.pdf

National Science Foundation

• Defining Computational thinking and then answering the WHY
• How Can We Make CT Accessible?
• How Is CT Different?
• Why Is CT Important?

This article answers not only what CT is, but why it matters to my students, and why it matters to their future. We need to understand how, where and when computers can help us solve problems.

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