Into the Driver's Seat

"As educators, we must take that next step - teaching students to problem-solve and come up with algorithms of their own ..."

"CS Unplugged is a collection of free teaching material that teaches Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around."

Ignite My Future in School provides middle school educators with standards-aligned, transdisciplinary resources designed to effectively engage classrooms with the foundations of computational thinking across core subject areas.

Computer science education is not a new field. Much of what we know about the pedagogy and content for elementary students comes from Seymour Papert’s research on teaching elementary students to code back in the 1970’s and 80’s. But, as we shift from labs and one-off classrooms to a broad expansion for all students in every classroom K-12, we are seeing changes to how computer science is taught. This means we are working in a rapidly evolving field (insert metaphor of building a plane while flying it). Over time, we have gone from a focus on coding (often in isolation) to a more broad idea of computer science as a whole, and now to the refined idea of computational thinking as a foundational understanding for all students.

Pause. You may be asking, “But wait, what’s computational thinking again?” In her book Coding as a Playground, Marina Umaschi Bers explained: “The notion of computational thinking encompasses a broad set of analytic and problem-solving skills, dispositions, habits, and approaches most often used in computer science, but that can serve everyone.” More simply, you can think of computational thinking as the thought processes involved in using algorithms to solve problems. Sheena Vaidyanathan writes some good articles explaining the differences between computer science, coding, and computational thinking here and here.

Are you wondering what coding means for your classroom? Join us for a look at how to include computational thinking into your teaching.

Explore the vocabulary of coding and the opportunities for offline activities. Showing cross-curricular links and real world application, this webinar will use both Discovery Education Coding and freely available resources to support the teaching and learning of computing.

A few years ago, the leaders of the College Board, the folks who administer the SAT college entrance exam, asked themselves a radical question: Of all the skills and knowledge that we test young people for that we know are correlated with success in college and in life, which is the most important? Their answer: the ability to master “two codes” — computer science and the U.S. Constitution.

Recently, I had a wonderful opportunity to work with a school district in my area on one of their staff development days. I had been there before winter break to help them realize the new computer science standards in Iowa along with the 5 year STEM plan from the White House and what this all has to do with them and their classrooms. Anytime you head to a school and talk you know you are not making the connections you really want to achieve. At the time it was the only way to give them some food for thought about teaching practices, the big picture of education, and what we need to be thinking about as educators as the rest of the world is adapting quickly.

When I came back to lead a 3 hour workshop to help them experience this learning in their classroom, I was super excited. I knew if I talked computer science and the standards I would lose 80% of them. I redesigned and reworked a project experience that would allow them to undergo a build process and project idea they could visually see working in their classroom. Instead of focusing on all the latest buzzwords, I ignored them all went with a design challenge. I used design thinking as a way for them to explore and experience building, making, tinkering, coding, physical computing, and application to the classroom.

Computer science education is not a new field. Much of what we know about the pedagogy and content for elementary students comes from Seymour Papert’s research on teaching elementary students to code back in the 1970’s and 80’s. But, as we shift from labs and one-off classrooms to a broad expansion for all students in every classroom K-12, we are seeing changes to how computer science is taught. This means we are working in a rapidly evolving field (insert metaphor of building a plane while flying it). Over time, we have gone from a focus on coding (often in isolation) to a more broad idea of computer science as a whole, and now to the refined idea of computational thinking as a foundational understanding for all students.

Pause. You may be asking, “But wait, what’s computational thinking again?” In her book Coding as a Playground, Marina Umaschi Bers explained: “The notion of computational thinking encompasses a broad set of analytic and problem-solving skills, dispositions, habits, and approaches most often used in computer science, but that can serve everyone.” More simply, you can think of computational thinking as the thought processes involved in using algorithms to solve problems. Sheena Vaidyanathan writes some good articles explaining the differences between computer science, coding, and computational thinking here and here.

Code for Life is a free program that I learned about while attending the BETT Show last week. Code for Life has a programming interface based on Blockly. Anyone who has used Blockly or Scratch will immediately recognize the similarities when they launch Code for Life's programming interface.

As you might know, I believe all transformative practices must be based in the standards. These standards must include both content and process standards (4C’s). Too often, I see wonderful activities that engages students… but also see important standards that could have been incorporated not present in the activity.

The idea behind the Makers Movement includes allowing students to imagine, envision, create, innovate, play, formatively learn, experiment, collaborate, share, and most of all dream of possibilities. The idea of making is not a new concept. In fact, the art of making is at the root and mixed into to the very fabric of our culture. I believe that the amazing innovation we have seen in this country is due to a Maker mentality. We have long been a culture set on dreaming up possibilities, and then taking the action to make it happen. The initial growth of technology has somewhat taken some of our creativity and produced consumption based thinking. We are now past the initial way of thinking, and the Makers movement allows people to finally use the technology to create and make. As we reflect on this… how are you using the Makerspace idea to engage students in content standards while facilitating and assessing process skills?

As you set, up or evaluate, the Maker movement in your school or district I ask you to think about how you are bringing this movement to the entire school and curriculum. I call it creating a Maker Culture. After-all the concept behind making is not a space… but instead a way of thinking.

For this reason, I think it is important to discuss one of the thinking processes often involved in making. It is the idea of computational thinking. This type of thinking is important not just in high stake testing, but also success in that world after school. Perhaps you have come across the idea of computational thinking in education.  The best way to describe computational thinking is to look at the way a computer thinks… or at least runs a program. This is actually the most important concept a student learns through coding and developing computer programs. We must keep in mind that it is not the coding that is important… but the thinking process. After all… one can use a computer, but not actually use computational thinking skills.