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Computer Science and Computational Thinking Resources

Computer Science and Computational Thinking Resources. Leen-Kiat Soh University of NEBRASKA, LINCOLN, nE CSTA Nebraska Huskers. Computational Thinking.

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Computer Science and Computational Thinking Resources

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  1. Computer Science and Computational Thinking Resources Leen-Kiat Soh University of NEBRASKA, LINCOLN, nE CSTA Nebraska Huskers

  2. Computational Thinking • “Computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everyone, not just for computer scientists. To reading, writing, and arithmetic, we should add computational thinking to every child’s analytical ability.” – Jeannette Wing, CACM 2006

  3. Characteristics (Wing, 2006) • Computer science is the study of computation—what can be computed and how to compute it. Computational thinking thus has the following characteristics: • Conceptualizing, not programming. • Fundamental, not rote skill. • A way that humans, not computers, think. • Complements and combines mathematical and engineering thinking. • Ideas, not artifacts. • For everyone, everywhere.

  4. Resources • Many CS & Computational Thinking education/outreach resources available online • National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) “in-a-box” kits http://ncwit.org • Ensemble, a Portal for Computing Educators http://www.computingportal.org/ • CS Education Week http://www.csedweek.org/ • Google’s Computer Science for High School (CS4HS) http://cs4hs.com/ • …

  5. TODAY’s Session • Two particular resources • Google’s Exploring Computational Thinking Resourceshttp://www.google.com/edu/computational-thinking • CS Unplugged • Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum as “in-a-box” from NCWIT http://www.ncwit.org/resources/computer-science-box-unplug-your-curriculum • Activities, events, resources, books, … http://csunplugged.org/ • Created by Tim Bell, Ian H. Witten, and Mike Fellows, and illustrated by Matt Powell

  6. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking Resourcestechniques 1 • Specific computational thinking techniques include • DecompositionThe ability to break down a task into minute details so that we can clearly explain a process to another person or to a computer, or even to just write notes for ourselves. • When we taste an unfamiliar dish and identify several ingredients based on the flavor, we are decomposing that dish into its individual ingredients. • Pattern Recognition The ability to notice similarities or common differences that will help us make predictions or lead us to shortcuts. • People look for patterns in stock prices to decide when to buy and sell. • Pattern Abstraction and Generalization • Algorithm Design

  7. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking Resourcestechniques 2 • Specific computational thinking techniques include • Decomposition. • Pattern Recognition • Pattern Abstraction and Generalization The ability to filter out information that is not necessary to solve a certain type of problem and generalize the information that is necessary. • A daily planner uses abstraction to represent a week in terms of days and hours, helping us to organize our time. • Algorithm Design The ability to develop a step-by-step strategy for solving a problem. • When a chef writes a recipe for a dish, she is creating an algorithm that others can follow to replicate the dish.

  8. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking ResourcesRelationships Problem Pattern Recognition Problem Decomposition Pattern Abstraction & Generalization Decomposed Problem Patterns Algorithmic Design Algorithms

  9. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking ResourcesExample 1 go

  10. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking ResourcesExample 2 go

  11. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking ResourcesExample 3 go

  12. GoogLE’s Exploring Computational Thinking ResourcesExample 4 go

  13. CS Unpluggedhttp://csunplugged.org • “CS Unplugged is a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.” “CS Unplugged is suitable for people of all ages, from elementary school to seniors, and from many countries and backgrounds. Unplugged has been used around the world for over fifteen years, in classrooms, science centers, homes, and even for holiday events in a park! ” “The activities introduce students to underlying concepts such as binary numbers, algorithms and data compression, separated from the distractions and technical details we usually see with computers.”

  14. CS Unpluggedhttp://csunplugged.org go

  15. CS UnpluggedAs NCWIT’s Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum(http://www.ncwit.org/resources/computer-science-box-unplug-your-curriculum) • “Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculumintroduces fundamental building blocks of computer science -- without using computers. This selection of activities is designed for use with students ages 9 to 14.” “Presenting these activities to your students will allow them to: Understand how zeros and ones can be used to represent information such as digital images and numbers Understand fundamental ideas of logic and apply logic to solve problems, such as sorting information into useful order quickly Develop an understanding of algorithms that goes beyond basic operations of arithmetic” “You don't have to be a computer expert to enjoy learning these principles with your students. Answers to all problems are provided, and each activity ends with a "what's it all about?" section that explains the relevance of the activities. ”

  16. CS UnpluggedAs NCWIT’s Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum(http://www.ncwit.org/resources/computer-science-box-unplug-your-curriculum) go

  17. CS UNpluggedExample 1: MAGIC! BIT ERROR DETECTION & CORRECTION play

  18. CS UNpluggedExample 2: BEAT the Clock! Sorting Network play

  19. CS UNpluggedExample 3: SHORTEST PATH! Treasure Island

  20. CS UNpluggedExample 4: Count The dots – Binary NUmbers go

  21. More sessions … • Picking a first Programming Language (11:15 am - 12:00 noon) • Led by Lloyd Sommerer, Lincoln Lutheran High School, Lincoln, NE • roomFedora I • First Annual CSTA NE Local Chapter Meeting (4:30 pm) • Led by CSTA Nebraska Huskers local chapter • roomSugarloaf I

  22. Acknowledgments • CSTA Nebraska Huskers local chapter • Google’s Phil Wagner • NCWIT’s Academic Alliance • Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE • National Science Foundation • Tapestry Workshop’s Joanne and Jim Cohoon, University of Virginia • Renaissance Computing @ UNL • IC2Think @ UNL • Center for Computational Creativity @ UNL

  23. CONTACT INFO • CSTA Nebraska Huskers local chapter • e-mail info@CSTAnebraska.org • website http://cstanebraska.org/ • Computer Science & Engineering • University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE • website http://cse.unl.edu • Leen-Kiat Soh • e-mail lksoh@cse.unl.edu • website http://cse.unl.edu/~lksoh

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