Technology In Education
Motivational and Practical Readings/Videos
Computational Thinking, Wing
Human Capabilities vs. Computer Capabilities
What is computable?
Skill not just for computer scientists, can be implemented in many if not all subjects.
"...involves solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science."
Thinking at multiple levels of abstraction
Computational Literacy and The Big Picture
Using computers to facilitate learning of concepts, mathematical and otherwise
MMVSSs:
Memes
Movements
Values
Sensibilities
Sensitivities
Toy model of social change, elements of society that are influenced by computational literacy and similar social changes
4 R's to focus on for "literacy-relevant agenda:
Re-mediation - new possibilities
Reformulation - formulate with tech
Reorganizing - intellectual terrain in education
Revitalizing - better learning activities
Integrated Mathematics and Computer Studies
Power of computational modelling
Bringing math concepts to life
Helps reference the community of mathematicians
Incorporates project-based learning
Visual representation of data as often as needed
Computational Thinking - A Competency Whose Time Has Come
Discusses the relevance of AI, and computation in general, in this day and age.
Lists "Concepts and Practices" of CT
Logic & logical thinking
Algorithms & algorithmic thinking
Patterns & pattern recognition
Abstraction & generalization
Automation
Problem decomposition
Creating computational artifacts
Testing & debugging
Iterative refinement
Collaboration & creativity
Programming is not the only way to foster CT - includes examples of practicing concepts of CT with non-programming activities
Includes examples of the use of CT in other subjects
Computational Thinking in High School Science Classrooms
Comparison between mathematical and computational thinking, and examples of how they are both used in all subjects
Mathematical/computational thinking is developed when you approach a problem with math/computational techniques in mind
A goal for CT is to think of how computation can assist with a particular problem
Highlights the applicability of simulations in education
Starlogo
TNG simulation software (biology)
Highlights the importance of data mining, data collection, and data analysis
Components of Arduino Uno/
Programming a Simple Application with Arduino Simulator/
Controlling an LED with a Button on the Arduino Simulator
USB, Power Socket, Pins, LEDs, Microcontroller, etc...
Breadboard components
Explanation of Tinkercad
Example of simple Arduino code
Computational Participation
Concept of literacy should be extended to include programming
Discuss examples of training for computational thinking without the use of computers
Discusses a shift of focus from computational thinking to computational participation
Since programming is such an integral part of our society, we can train computational thinking by going straight to the top - by teaching students to program.
Culturally Responsive/Relevant Pedagogy and Instruction in the Classroom
Culturally relevant pedagogy addresses the cultures of people in the classroom as well as voices of those who are not represented in the classroom
Culturally responsive pedagogy addresses cultural ways of learning and progressing
Is a subset of differentiated instruction tailored to be culturally responsive
Social Justice in the Classroom
Use relevant topics to the locality of the class.
No reenactments/debates that could lead to questioning peoples humanity
Anti-biased education
Discuss differences between people explicitly
Promotes humanity, self-awareness, and ally-ship
Whiteness
Nuanced, leveraging my privilege
Culturally Responsive Making
Using the skills of Indigenous girls to educate and inspire them to get involved in programming.
Used LilyPad Arduinoto make interactive "E-textiles", like smart clothes
Studies showed that this boosted female-indigenous interest in programming because it was less tedious
Exploring the Power of Growing patterns
Discuss ways to tie growing patterns to a function of the entry number using computation or assistive programs
Difficult for students to see beyond the simplicity of adding to get from entry 'n' to entry 'n+1'
"Research has demonstrated that even very young students can develop an understanding of functions"
Teachers should "make explicit the connection between the position number and the number of tiles" and design inquiring/problem solving questions
Mathematical Crafts for Children:
Beyond Scissors and Glue
Go beyond "recipes" when having students design mathematical artifacts.
Hyper Gami - tool for exploring 3D shapes
Popup Workshop - tool for virtual popup construction
Fabrication devices as tools for construction are more affordable these days (laser cutters, CNC machines, etc..)
Programs and Tools
Boxer
Tick Model:
Discretised time and actions
Derivative becomes equivalent to difference between moments
Applied to constant and non-constant acceleration problems
Scratch
Geometry:
repeat 4
pen down
turn 90
pen up
Modeling Functions:
set x=200
repeat 400
y=axx
if y in (-180, 180)
go to x, y
stamp
change x by 1
Other fun functions for aesthetics:
Colour change
"Say" text
Include voice recordings into programs for oral assessments in any subject
Use loops and build your own functions to train computational thinking/programming skills
Here is a very simple drawing program I came up with that features some of the main tools of scratch
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/432482965/editor/
Use arrow keys and WASD to draw
Turtle Geometry
Great as an artistic outlet for math learning. Use algorithms to design shapes and spirals
Artistic outlet and motivation for math
Gives students immediate feedback so that they can correct their understanding of coordinates and geometry
Makey Makey
Students learn how grounding circuits works
Opportunities to use this software to learn many computer and electronics related concepts (Computer Literacy)
Some Activities to try:
Interactive posters
Draw your own musical instruments
Build your own controllers
Python
Packages for any task:
Numpy - vector and matrix manipulation
Matplotlib - various plotting and graphingv functionality
Turtle - see below
Pygame - Build video games
Etc...
Jupyter notebooks are useful for implementing interactivity into python code (worksheet style)
Fully legitimate and capable programming language
Micro:bit
Gives students experience in circuits and programming
Gives students experience with and control over relevant technologies:
Accelerometer
Light sensor
Buttons
LED display
Radio signals
Compass
Website includes a simulator to test code
Difficult to find consistent documentation
Here is a micro:bit program that I made:
https://makecode.microbit.org/_W2sFvh0dwczL
Use a and b to change the values, hit a+b to set the values, and shake to move into explore mode, where tilting moves along the data. Note you must set at least 5 values before moving into explore mode.
Arduino
Tinkercad has a simulator to test code
Gives students experience with circuits, programming and robotics.
Includes many motors, sensors, displays, and controls