Opinion: Blast from the past

Image taken from: The Museum of Computer Adventure Game History

Though I know there is a lot more to Computational Thinking than programming. I recently came across a website (http://mocagh.org/loadpage.php?getcompany=usborne-hayes)  that has some of the covers of books from the publisher Usborne-Hayes that I used when I started to learn to program and computing.

I am not sure of the whether the books are being made available copyright free at the site. Therefore, I am not advising anyone to do download them, but for those who started learning about Computers in the 1980s the covers may bring back a few memories.

Apart from that though, the style of the books is interesting and I feel relevant to needs now (even if the languages used may not be as relevant). The reader is taken, step by step, through concepts by cute robots - I am starting to wonder as I writing this whether my own style of teaching computing has unconsciously being inspired by these books. 


All views are those of the author and should not be seen as the views of any organisation the author is associated with.

Computational thinking is a life skill. Here's why... › Merton Park Code ClubMerton Park Code Club

Taken from:Computational thinking is a life skill. Here's why... › Merton Park Code ClubMerton Park 

Code Club:


To read more on this go to http://mppcodeclub.primaryblogger.co.uk/new-curriculum/computational-thinking-is-a-life-skill-heres-why/ 



"Running is a great way to keep fit – lots of fresh air and things to look at. And it’s free – you should try it. Try Park Run.

But I hate running. I really do – it’s a difficult sport to take up in your fifties! However, I realised today that computational thinking skills are what has enabled me to get my running up to 15k/week. And maybe I hate it less. Maybe I’ll love it one day. I’ll let you know.

Can you think of non-computing areas of your life where you have used computational thinking skills to improve on something, or to solve a problem? Please comment below – tell us which skills you have used, which problem you have overcome, and why you think these skills helped you. Here’s my experience:

Decomposition – I break my run into chunks. There are difficult bits (uphills) and easy bits (downhills). I give myself permission to stop at various points if I’m tired. But I generally don’t. As I get through each chunk I give myself a pat on the back and carry on. Chunking it up gives me the motivation both to get started and to carry on til it’s finished.

Logical reasoning – I predict what I need to wear (kit, hat, gloves – weather dependent) & I work out my route in advance to decide which music I will need and how long the run will take me.

Resilience – sometimes the weather’s bad, or I’m tired. But I keep on going, knowing that the end result will be worth the cold, or the pain.

Perseverance – I’m still doing it, aren’t I?! And I have built up my runs gradually from a much smaller distance

Creativity – If I walk uphill, I change my music track to a marching sort of song, to ensure that I walk at a good pace. (My favourite – “Men of Harlech” ). If I’m really tired I swap to interval training.  I tinker with my schedule depending on my mood and level of ambition!

Patterns – I group similar bits of the walk together eg flats, uphills, downhills, and change my rhythm, music & approach appropriate to each type of section.

Evaluating & Debugging - Throughout my run I am evaluating my technique and relative fitness and changing things about my run accordingly, to help me improve."



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Waste as a tool for computational thinking

A modified version of the blog post in: 

http://computingnorthampton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/waste-as-tool-to-inspire-potential.html

An article in the Northampton Herald and Post " How a university is using waste as tool to inspire students" by Lawrence John discusses the Junkbots project. 

"FUNNY looking robots called junkbots could be the key to encouraging more children across the county to become engineers, computer programmers or scientists.

 

One force which is driving this idea forward is the University of Northampton.

 

For the past few years, staff from its science and technology department have been going out to primary and secondary schools to spread the word that science is fun.

By working with schools, the university hopes to show pupils a different side to computing and hopefully raise their interest in what they can achieve" Lawrence John

For the whole article click here.

For more on the junkbots project work go to: http://junkbots.blogspot.co.uk/

All views are those of the author and should not be seen as the views of any organisation the author is associated with.

TYNKER - a fun set of games.

I have been playing with (and so has my son) the Tynker app (available at http://www.tynker.com/mobile/ ). It has a mixture of features, several games and activities to play with concepts of programming and computational thinking.

It has a Scratch/Alice look, with graphical blocks. The coding puzzles gradually build up in complexity. 

App also comes with a games creation option.


All views are those of the author and should not be seen as the views of any organisation the author is associated with.

Using Minecraft to Challenge Students and Keep Learning Fun

Using Minecraft to Challenge Students and Keep Learning Fun: "Much more than just a video game, Minecraft is being used by thousands of educators to tackle difficult learning concepts in an amazingly fun and collaborative digital environment. Students are exploring, crafting and making in 3D virtual worlds where their creativity and imagination can run wild. No matter what your discipline, the many different elements of Minecraft can be employed to add fun and meaning to just about any lesson."



To read more go to: https://www.fractuslearning.com/2015/01/12/minecraft-challenge-students-learning-fun/





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All views are those of the author and should not be seen as the views of any organisation the author is associated with.

How Making Robots Captivates Kids' Imaginations

Taken from: How Making Robots Captivates Kids' Imaginations | Edutopia:

All views are those of the author and should not be seen as the views of any organisation the author is associated with.

Problems First, Second and Third

A paper has recently been published in International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education on problem-solving and programming by two members of the Department of Computing and Immersive Technologies, University of Northampton.

Problems First, Second and Third. 

Gary Hill and Scott Turner

Abstract
This paper considers the need to focus initial programming education on problem-solving, prior to the teaching of programming syntax and software design methodology. The main vehicle for this approach is simple Lego based robots programmed in Java, followed by the programming of a graphical representation/simulation to develop programming skills. Problem solving is not trivial (Beaumont and Fox, 2003) and is an important skill, central to computing and engineering. The paper extends the authors earlier research on problems first and problem solving (Hill and Turner, 2011) to further emphasise the importance of problem-solving, problem based learning and the benefits of both physical and visual solutions. An approach will be considered, illustrated with a series of problem-solving tasks that increase in complexity at each stage and give the students practice in attempting problem-solving approaches, as well as assisting them to learn from their mistakes. Some of the problems include ambiguities or are purposely ill-defined, to enable the student to resolve these as part of the process. The benefits to students will be discussed including students' statements that this approach, using robots, provides a method to visually and physically see the outcome of a problem. In addition, students report that the method improves their satisfaction with the course. The importance of linking the problem-solving robot activity and the programming assignment, whilst maintaining the visual nature of the problem, will be discussed, together with the comparison of this work with similar work reported by other authors relating to teaching programming using robots (Williams, 2003). In addition, limitations will be discussed relating to the access to the physical robots and the alternative attempts to simulate the robots using three options of, Microsoft Robotics Studio (MSRS), Lego Mindstorms and Greenfoot simulators.

• Hill, G. and Turner, S. J. (2014) Problems First, Second and Third. International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education (IJQAETE). 3(3), pp. 88-109. ISSN: 2155-496

To read a preview of the paper go to: http://www.igi-global.com/viewtitlesample.aspx?id=117560&ptid=91662&t=Problems%20First,%20Second%20and%20Third




If you'd like to find out more about Computing at the University of Northampton go to: www.computing.northampton.ac.uk. All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with

All views are those of the author and should not be seen as the views of any organisation the author is associated with.