A 4 step approach to solving real problems with Computational Thinking. A method and approach for use in the secondary school enviornment.
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1. QSITE 2014 Computational Thinking: A 4 Step Process Paul
Herring St Peters Lutheran College Brisbane, Queensland
2. What do all these domains of knowledge or endeavour have in
common? - a recent phenomenon but which is transformational?
Biology Chemistry Physics Astronomy Neurological Science
Engineering Architecture Geology Mathematics Economics The Arts
Social Sciences Medicine Law Entertainment Games Sports Languages
Education ++
3. Every era demands--and rewards--different skills. In
different times and different places, we have taught our children
to grow vegetables, build a house, forge a sword or blow a delicate
glass, bake bread, create a souffl, write a story or shoot hoops.
Now we are teaching them to code. We are teaching them to code,
however, not so much as an end in itself but because our world has
morphed: We need to teach coding to help our students craft their
future. - https://www.edsurge.com/guide/teaching-kids-to-code
Computational Thinking the 4th R Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic &
Computational Thinking
4. Computational Thinking the 4th R Ultimately, what is needed
is a shift in mindsets, so that people begin to see coding not only
as a pathway to good jobs, but as a new form of expression and a
new context for learning. - Mitchel Resnick Fast forward to 2020.
What job skill must you have? What we do know is, for the
foreseeable future, coding is one of the most important and
desirable skills there is, no matter how it evolves. -
http://mashable.com/2013/04/30/job-skill-future-coding/
5. Positioning coders as artists, and programming as painting,
students can be taught the skills and given the encouragement to
produce individual work, enabling them to see the personal benefit
and reward. We must encourage Britains young people to innovate and
aspire to coding careers, with the same aspiration that people
pursue the dream of becoming a footballer. DJ Adams - Enterprise
Architect & Open Source Programmer Coding is the new black
6. A growing awareness of the impact of Computational Thinking
- 3 Game Changers: fabrication (3D printing); physical computing
(robotics); programming - ground swell of coding See Gary Stager -
http://www.inventtolearn.com/about-the-book/ My humble opinion is
that if we work with our young people to develop their skills in
innovation, design and "needs" analysis in combination with
computational thinking skills then we are facilitating the
development of a generation of visionaries and problem solvers not
just "code monkeys". Danielle Neale - Serial Entrepreneur |
Innovation Consultant Computational Thinking the 4th R
7. Computational Thinking the 4th R These is a potential
tsunami coming of needed change; of lack of qualifications; of
serious redefinition of some of what we teach, not just how we
teach.
8. Computational thinking encompasses logical thinking,
precision, rigour & creativity Those last two terms are not
what some people might put together, but there is a lot of
creativity in what some folk class as a science, and others, like
me, class as a craft With computational thinking skills a person
can better get to grips with problems, find solutions, be creative
and find expression all at the same time. And it gives them a
fighting chance of not just surviving, but blossoming in the data
tsunami that is brewing under the covers of the everyday world. -
Pat Nice, CEO, open source and cloud provider Reconnix
9. Computational thinking will be a fundamental skill used by
everyone in the world. To reading, writing, and arithmetic, lets
add computational thinking to every child's analytical ability.
Computational thinking is an approach to solving problems, building
systems, and understanding human behavior that draws on the power
and limits of computing. Prof. Jeannette M. Wing
10. Hour of Code Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc
11. "Computational Thinking is a fundamental analytical skill
that everyone, not just computer scientists, can use to help solve
problems, design systems, and understand human behavior. As such,
... computational thinking is comparable to the mathematical,
linguistic, and logical reasoning that is taught to all children.
What is Computational Thinking?
12. This view mirrors the growing recognition that
computational thinking (and not just computation) has begun to
influence and shape thinking in many disciplines - Earth sciences,
biology, and statistics, for example. Moreover, computational
thinking is likely to benefit not only other scientists but also
everyone else bankers, stockbrokers, lawyers, car mechanics,
salespeople, health care professionals, artists, and so on. from
the preface of COMPUTATIONAL THINKING - REPORT OF A WORKSHOP ON THE
SCOPE AND NATURE OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING - (c) National Academy
of Sciences.
13. "Computational Thinking is the thought processes involved
in formulating problems and their solutions so that the solutions
are represented in a form that can be effectively carried out by an
information-processing agent. - Cuny, Snyder, Wing Computer science
is having a revolutionary impact on scientific research and
discovery. Simply put, it is nearly impossible to do scholarly
research in any scientific or engineering discipline without an
ability to think computationally. What is Computational
Thinking?
14. Computational Thinking enables any explorer to manipulate,
build/modify as needed, a dynamic computational model with;
sufficient power to re-compute and re-visualize the model with;
appropriate controls and access to expertise to help interpret and
understand the model. The impact of computing extends far beyond
science, however, affecting all aspects of our lives. To flourish
in today's world, everyone needs computational thinking. Center for
Computational Thinking at Carnegie Mellon University Computational
Thinking the 4th R
15. 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 Computational Thinking - a problem-solving process
16. As a 4 Step Process: 1. Posing the right question =
Computational Thinking 2. Real world -> modelling or technical
formulation = Design & Algorithmic Thinking 3. Computation =
Programming/Coding 4. Verification =Testing & introducing
solutions back into the real-world
17. The 4 Step Process expanded - Scientifically
18. The question cant read the sign The question which avocado
Practical Examples:
19. Scan materials or physical objects. Get instant relevant
information to your smartphone. Food, medicine, plants, and more
The world's first affordable molecular sensor that fits in the palm
of your hand. SCiO is a tiny spectrometer and allows you to get
instant relevant information about the chemical make-up of just
about anything around you, sent directly to your smartphone. SCiO
is based on the age-old near-IR spectroscopy method. SCiO
communicates the spectrum to your smartphone app via Bluetooth,
which in turn forwards it to a cloud-based service. Advanced
algorithms analyze the spectrum and within seconds deliver
information regarding the analyzed sample back to the smartphone to
be presented in real time to the user.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fVvb3jjGVQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrtGSEwfIJY Practical Examples:
SCiO
20. Parked Cars Supermarket Queues Tour Itinerary Theatre
Seating Diagram Social Media Feed Algorithms Back-on-Track GPS
Algorithm School Wireless Coverage Practical Examples -
Scenarios
21. Understand which aspects of a problem are amenable to
computation Evaluate the match between computational tools and
techniques and a problem Understand the limitations and power of
computational tools and techniques Apply or adapt a computational
tool or technique to a new use Recognize an opportunity to use
computation in a new way, Apply computational strategies such as
divide and conquer in any domain. Computational Thinking means
being able to:
22. Ask good questions Hardest part is
understanding/characterising the problem Two standard approaches
here: Ask someone else Look for a similar problem you already know
how to solve What makes problems similar? Similar information +
computations
23. Conrad Wolfram argues that Mathematics Education today
should involve the same problem solving process: His steps are:
Posing the right question of a real world problem/issue Real world
-> math formulation that is, state the problem in terms of its
mathematics components Computation solve the mathematics models
& formulas involved Verification implement the solutions into
the original real world situation to verify their correctness,
effectiveness, etc. Mathematics & the 4 Step Process:
24. The skill that is in great demand today, and will continue
to grow, is the ability to take a novel problem, possibly not
well-defined, and likely not having a single right answer, and make
progress on it, in some cases (but not all!) solving it (whatever
that turns out to mean). The problems we need mathematics for today
come in a messy, real- world context, and part of making progress
is to figure out just what you need from that context. I have had
as students (in his Moocs), engineers with years of experience who
suddenly found themselves out of a job when their employers
replaced them with software systems (or sometimes overseas
outsource services). Those engineers are now having to retool to
learn this other skill of creative problem solving mathematical
thinking. Kevin Devlin & Mathematical Thinking
25. How many different uses for the GPS device that comes with
your smartphone can you imagine? How many do you think exist right
now that is how many distinctly different uses. There are many Car
Navigation apps on the market, but what about other uses? How many
you can come up with? Next Slide for a starting list The Power of
the Mobile
26. 1) Normal car/bike/walk navigation 2) track mileage for
reimbursement 3) flight log book 4) mashup between a to-do list and
GPS 5) tracks your phone, so if you get lost 6) share your location
details with friends 7) amenities nearby 8) Google Maps 9) Golf 10)
Runkeeper 11) Speedo 12) Altimeter 13) Family Locator is the most
reliable and accurate family locator & children safety app. 14)
Family Locator app lets your family be in touch and stay connected
with your friends anytime. 15) Find the value of Taximeter 16)
Truck Fleet management 17) location like Google Earth 18) emergency
road side assistance 19) Track your luggage, laptops, pets and
anything of importance - need unit in collar 20) GPS games - eg.
GeoCache, a global GPS based treasure-hunt 21) Freight Tracking
But/and still need better s/w! - Navman - parked next to chapel - -
"190m from a school zone' - clearly could be better! Some GPS
Apps:
27. touchscreen accelerometer gyroscope camera compass,
barometer Magnetometer Proximity Sensor Orientation Sensor
Infra-red sensor Bluetooth NFC Force Sensor Ultra-sonic sensors
RFID IR Spectroscopy etc...???? The Power of the Mobile Add
ons
28. incorporates 3D printing and ultrasonic tech to make
healing a broken bone more bearable. A 3D Printed Cast That Can
Heal Your Bones 40-80% Faster
29. Ian Jukes: Our education system is not broken, just
obsolete Creative workforce jobs facilitated by technology and are
therefore much less likely to be negatively impacted by the changes
brought about by outsourcing, off-shoring & automation. Check
out my Blog post here The importance of Computational Thinking in
Education: Disruptive Innovation
30. 3 anticipated skills of a worker in 2014: 1. Teamwork 2.
Problem solving 3. Interpersonal skills The world doesn't care what
you know, it only cares what you can do with what you know! Long
life skills such as creativity, interpersonal skills, critical
thinking and problem solving will be the key to success.
Connectivity is transforming knowledge. We live in the age of
Info-whelm. Students are now our clients. They have many options
for learning - Are we offering them a valuable and competitive
product? For the digital generation the world is one great big
social network. Mobile devices will transform learning experience.
Big data is here to stay. Radical personalization of learning is on
the way.
31. Top 10 Works Skills in 2020
32. Disruptive Innovation @ Uni level:
33. Learning Analytics:
34. The Learner is in control able to rewind/pace... Uni of
Utah:
35. Career Growth STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics
36. Degrees vs Jobs STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics
37. Degrees vs Jobs USA Stats http://code.org/stats
38. Degrees vs Jobs USA Stats http://code.org/stats
39. (based on global energy consumption trends): 1) Comeback of
governments 2) Digitization The Internet of things, Automation
everywhere, and Intelligent alarming 3) Everything as a service 4)
Sustainability 5) Geographical shift Augmented reality, eg. Central
Qld Uni uses augmented reality to coach train drivers Wearable
devices, and Home automation. - Simon Fuller and Michael Postula,
Schneider-Electric (ACS Seminar: Brisbane 21 August) CT & the
Top 5 Megatrends
40. Smart cities A safer world A simpler world An emerging
world A world of service A greener world The three principal
ramifications of these trends are: 1. Business model disruption 2.
Competencies and skill sets of your people 3. Segmentation -
end-user solutions - customized and personalized - Simon Fuller and
Michael Postula, Schneider-Electric (ACS Seminar: Brisbane 21
August) CT & the Top Megatrends
41. Students: Code for Mobile Apps; Games Design; Computational
Biology Cryptography & Encryption algorithmic design Big Data
algorithms Augmented Reality development Gesture Based Apps: - Leap
Motion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d6KuiuteIA This is why using
games as an example is so powerful: If you tell students that
theyll learn how to create a video game, they wont focus on the
math, or the skills they have to learn to get there. Theyre going
to focus on what they need to do to make the games. If the goal is
exciting enough, the steps to get there cease to be serious
barriers. Les Miller, Professor of Computer Science at Iowa State
University Create not consume:
42. 21st Century Fluency Project: Problem Solving Creativity
Analytical Thinking Collaboration Communication Ethics, Action,
Accountability - from Literacy is Not enough Lee Crockett, Ian
Jukes & Andrew Churches These are long term goals are our
students developing these skills; are they mandated in the
curriculum? What skills will students most need to succeed in the
21st century?
43. The one thing that I wish I had known about computer
science (and programming more generally) earlier is that it is a
profoundly creative and interdisciplinary pursuit. What you choose
to apply your problem-solving to is something that demands great
ingenuity in how one transforms patterns of the physical world into
a digital distillation. Coding is a process of both synthesis and
genesis; not only is it guided by rules and syntax, but also
something you create from scratch (like you would with a painting
or a novel). Jasmine Tsai Software Engineer, Hackbright Academy
Profoundly Creative
44. Ultimately, the most effective motivators are autonomy (the
ability to chart your own course), mastery (the ability to become
an expert at something), and purpose (the idea that what you are
doing serves a purpose larger than yourself). Dan Pink see Ted Talk
2009 Computational Thinking as a discipline/approach to problem
solving can offer all three of these motivators Autonomy, mastery,
and purpose
45. Computational Thinking is now being recognized as vital to
our students and our worlds future progress. Computational Thinking
needs to be a core part of the curriculum in our schools It is time
to recognize that value of this 4 Step Process of Computational
Thinking and, begin to integrate it into the curriculum, in
particular from Middle School to Junior High and then as Senior
syllabi are re-written, the core role that Computational Thinking
can play needs to be factored in. The 4 Step Process
46. Computational Thinking: A 4 Step Process: 1. Posing the
right question = Computational Thinking 2. Real world ->
modelling or technical formulation = Design & Algorithmic
Thinking 3. Computation = Programming/Coding 4. Verification
=Testing & introducing solutions back into the real-world
47. Back to the Future: My sites
http://computationalthinkingk12.wordpress.com
http://www.scoop.it/t/computational-thinking-
in-digital-technologies My main sites for Computational
Thinking
48. Computational Thinking In Primary Schools Creating
Computationally-generated, Physical Artifacts Computational
Thinking Through Music Car Racing Teach Algebra Via Computational
Thinking And Coding Computational Thinking A Problem Solving Tool
For Every Classroom Modeling in Biology Using Computational
Thinking CT in Other Disciplines: