
15 Mar Computational thinking – some nice videos
Over the past five years, we have developed a computational thinking framework based upon our studies of interactive media designers. The context of our research is Scratch — a programming environment that enables young people to create their own interactive stories, games, and simulations, and then share those creations in an online community with other young programmers from around the world. By studying activity in the Scratch online community and in Scratch workshops, we have developed a definition of computational thinking that involves three key dimensions: (1) computational concepts, (2) computational practices, and (3) computational perspectives. Observation and interviews have been instrumental in helping us understand the longitudinal development of creators, with participation and project portfolios spanning weeks to several years. Workshops have been an important context for understanding the practices of the creator-in-action.
http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/ct/defining.html%5B/vc_column_text%5D
Computational thinking
Instructions need to be very detailed, clear and you cant make mistakes!
Four aspects of computational thinking:
Decomposition: Decomposing games is an important part of game design – to figure out main components/itens/ eneny and goal of the game
Abstraction: Taking out details that don’t matter – a calendar is an abstraction of your time.
Pattern recognition: Finding pattern is important in developing computational thinking
Algorithms: step by step solution to solve a problem.
What is computational thinking?
A skill that focuses on logical and critical thinking
Solving a problem systematically and arriving at a solution that both humans and computers can understand.
Decomposition: breaking a problem down
Abstraction: Focus on the important details
Pattern recognition: Find what Similarities problems may have
Algorithmic thinking: Set of rules – generate a set of simple steps.