Computational Thinking

Trinket: Turtle Challenge



My Code Studio Block Coding Puzzle

Leaders in education and industry worked with ISTE and CSTA to develop a definition of Computational Thinking.  They came up with this:

"CT (Computational Thinking) is a problem-solving process that includes (but is not limited to) the following characteristics:

• Formulating problems in a way that enables us to use a computer and other tools to help solve them
• Logically organizing and analyzing data
• Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations
• Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking (a series of ordered steps)
• Identifying, analyzing, and implementing possible solutions with the goal of achieving the most efficient and effective combination of steps and resources
• Generalizing and transferring this problem-solving process to a wide variety of problems"

According to the Computational Thinking Teacher Resources Second Edition there are several skills that are used in computational thinking.  Below is a list of five of those skills and how they are used in CT.

• Abstraction is the reduction of complex ideas to help define a main idea.
• Automation is using a computer of some other machine to do repetitive or tedious tasks.
• Data Analysis is making sense of data, finding patterns and drawing conclusions. 
• Problem Decomposition is used to break down complex problems into smaller manageable parts.
• Simulation is using a representation or model of a process. Models are also used to help run experiments.

Examples of Activities using CT Skills

Abstraction - Students would examine the past presidential election and break it down into the essential characteristics.  Then they could use those characteristics to determine what past election cycles most closely resemble what happened during the most recent election.

Automation - Long division comes to mind when thinking about automation.  While it is important to have students understand how to perform long division problems, once they have this understanding, allow them to use calculators to perform repetitive problems.

Data Analysis - Students could be given data collected regarding temperatures and weather patterns in a defined area.  Then they would use the data to look for patterns and determine if climate change is occurring in the defined area.

Problem Decomposition - When looking at my field of study, I might as my students to consider what it takes to be television anchor.  I would have them break down all of the variables (education, experience, etc.). Then they can examine which of the variables they have control over and which variables are affected by outside influences.  By doing this, they can begin setting a course that they will take to achieve their goals and how to deal with each variable as they arise.

Simulation - Again looking at my field of study, we use simulation regularly.  Students are placed in real life situations when learning how to report the news.  They are given stories to report initially that are written for them.  They are recorded reporting the stories and critiqued.  Eventually they write their own stories and report them.  At each level they can repeat the simulations and improve their writing and reporting skills in an environment that is educational and safe, before actually reporting in a live television setting.  

I think it is important to integrate computational thinking into the classroom whenever possible.

By doing this you introduce a systemic way to logically work through problems.  In today's society we've become accustomed to using computers in every aspect of our lives. By teaching computational thinking we can help our students understand the step by step process computers use to generate answers and data and in turn they can use the skills of CT to find their answers in the most efficient way possible. 

Trinket Holiday Tree Challenge

Block coding and Python coding are two easy ways to begin your understanding of computer programming.  Although, each code may look different, in reality they both utilize simple codes to execute a program.  The main difference is the user interface to do the actual programing.  Block code uses a simple drag and drop interface to move the lines of code into position in the program.  Python, on the other hand, relies on the programmer to type in each line of code.

The main issue I ran into using Code Studio was remember what order the lines of code need to be dragged and dropped to make sure the program executed correctly.

Trinket was a little bit more tricky. I only say this because there is a lot more room for human error when typing in each individual line of code.  I also had to go back into the lessons several times to make sure I was typing in the code correctly.

Overall both types of code are excellent ways for the beginning programmer to learn how to create code for computer programs.  If you can click, drag and drop you can easily use Block coding in Code Studio.  And if you can learn several short code lines, you can quickly get up to speed with Python coding in Trinket.