Computational Thinking
Computational thinking “ is an interrelated set of skills and practices for solving complex problems, a way to learn topics in many disciplines and a necessity for fully participating in a computational world.” (What Is Computational Thinking? – Digital Promise, n.d.) Computational thinking is a discipline that involves computer programming and problem-solving skills. Many different skills comprise computational thinking these skills can include; data analysis, pattern recognition, decomposition, abstraction, creativity, and collaboration among many other skills. Several different activities can be used to promote the computational thinking skills I mentioned above. One activity is number sense games, these games help promote both pattern recognition and mathematical skills for students. Writing by word count is another activity that helps promote abstraction as students need to focus on specific information. Students can also participate in different activities like the Rube Goldberg Machine that would promote creativity and collaboration among students in the classroom. The process of computational thinking is important to present in the classroom as it promotes understanding and problem-solving skills in both regular subjects and technology. Overall, in this everchanging technology-prominent world problem solving using technology-based solutions is a crucial skill for students.
What is Computational Thinking? – Digital Promise. (n.d.). Digital Promise. Retrieved March 30, 2024, from https://digitalpromise.org/initiative/computational-thinking/computational-thinking-for-next-generation-science/what-is-computational-thinking/
Hi Olivia!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post this week and seeing your tree design. You gave a great example of how to help enhance students' number sense by utilizing pattern recognition. This is a great technique to use especially in today’s society because students lack their number sense and are not able to recognize patterns. It is important to keep student’s mental math sharp because the students use it every day without even knowing it. I think it is important to constantly look for ways to incorporate computational thinking into the classroom because it will elicit the student's problem-solving skills. It will help to push the students to think outside the box and be able to collaborate on difficult topics. Utilizing it in the classroom will only help the students be able to use their computational thinking skills in the real world when issues or tasks arise. Implementing computational thinking in the classroom can be difficult so it is important to start somewhere small and then continually integrate more into the lessons and activities. I think this is something I might struggle with in my first year teaching but as I get more comfortable and confident, I will be able to incorporate more into my classroom.