PowerPoint Presentation

Workshop on ACARA Digital Technologies Curriculum:Paul Herring

Curriculum Leader - ITSt Peters Lutheran CollegeBrisbane, Queensland

Background NarrativeMy Tassie connectionThe Hutchins School 85-87Tasmanian Computing Curriculum second to noneMany firsts teaching 1 & 2s complement arithmetic to year 10!New Computing Labs 16k sideways RAM!Awesome caring communityAIP Tasmania Branch Prof. Delbourgo - father & sonsMy qualificationsPhysics; MACS CP, Professional Programmer & IS Designer EDOMS 25k+ codeTeaching 33+ yrs; Christchurch, Hobart, Kooralbyn, BrisbaneMy interest in Computational Thinking & the new Digital Technologies CurriculumELH August 2013, Lorne, Vic. thanks Jill!

Personal married, 5 kids, 6 grandchildren

In 1994, I created The Kooralbyn International Schools School Achievement Program inDigital Technologies

This initiative was awarded a Federal Award in 1996 for Best Practice in IT

Why ACARA Digital Technologies? And why is Computational Thinking/Coding so foundational to this new curriculum?Overview of CurriculumPractical Session 1 - Coding with Visual Blocky InterfacesAn introduction to strategies for implementationPractical Session 2 - Coding with Textual/Scripting InterfacesGroup ForumIntroduction to Design and Pedagogical IssuesPractical Session 3 Algorithm Design environmentsImplications & Action Plans - Brainstorming & Sharing/ReflectionConclusion take home message & resources

Computational Thinking is @ the core:A desire for National StandardsA new to update the curriculum to reflect the significant changes in the whole ICT and ICTE environmentA growing awareness of the impact of Computational Thinking3 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

Why ACARA Digital Technologies? 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

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 ResnickThe 4th R (with no R!): Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic & Computational ThinkingThese 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.

Before continue how many IT teachers; how many maths or science or engineering? How many disliked maths at school do you have similar feelings towards coding?

5The 4th R (with no R!): Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic & Computational ThinkingThese 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.

Challenges:how many IT teachers; how many Maths, Science or Engineering? How many disliked Maths at schooldo you have similar feelings towards coding?

Fast forward to 2020. What job skill must you have? - CodingWhat 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/

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 blackGeorge Siemens Learning Analytics from admin sideSylvia maker movement as part and parcel of CTThe teaching of CT LA from the student side7Coding is the new blackComputational thinking encompasses logical thinking, precision, rigour and 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 craftWith 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 providerReconnixComputational 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.

Code the new literacy - Hour of Code Video (5 min. version)- in Edmodo Folder

Prof. Jeannette M. Wing

"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. This view mirrors the growing recognition that computational thinking (and not just computation) has begun to influence and shape thinking in many disciplinesEarth sciences, biology, and statistics, for example.Moreover, computational thinking is likely to benefit not only other scientists but also everyone elsebankers, 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.What is Computational Thinking?"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, WingComputer 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. 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

What is Computational Thinking?The tinkering approach is characterized by a playful, experimental, iterative style of engagement, in which makers are continually reassessing their goals, exploring new paths, and imagining new possibilities.

Tinkering is undervalued (and even discouraged) in many educational settings today, but it is well aligned with the goals and spirit of the progressive-constructionist tradition

and, in our view, it is exactly what is needed to help young people prepare for life in todays society.DESIGNING FOR TINKERABILITY - MITCHEL RESNICK AND ERIC ROSENBAUM

Tinkering part of the Computational Thinking continuumComputational Thinking (CT) 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 dataRepresenting data through abstractions such as models and simulationsAutomating solutions through algorithmic thinkingIdentifying, 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

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) & Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), USAOperational Definition for K12 EducationThese skills are supported and enhanced by a number of dispositions or attitudes that are essential dimensions of CT. These dispositions or attitudes include:

Confidence in dealing with complexityPersistence in working with difficult problemsTolerance for ambiguityThe ability to deal with open ended problemsThe ability to communicate and work with others to achieve a common goal or solution - International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) & Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), USA

Persistence leads to resilience the most importance character attribute that is predictive of future success in businessOperational Definition for K12 Education"Computer programming is the new international language of business, and we're not teaching it in schools. Why is that? ... The fact it's not happening in junior highs and high schools is a shame given the demand for developers. There's a huge talent crunch, and people aren't connecting the dots. Parents and teachers are not talking about the need and encouraging it.

Aaron Skonnard, CEO of PluralSight (Trains 250,000 professionals globally -$16 million in revenue p.a)The new international language of businessI am not political and I'm not on any school board, but I am disappointed with how little focus there is on technology and computer technology in our schools.

15A generation of middle and high school students moves forward without even a cultivated awareness of computational influences on diverse fields of human endeavor.In high schools and college, misconceptions and sheer lack of awareness about computer science, as well as sub-optimal early introductory Computer Science experiences exact a heavy enrollment toll. Exposure to computing in the K-12 ecosystem could remedy this malaise--provided its done right.

Shuchi Grover - computer scientist and educatorLack of Computational Thinking in CurriculumThe essence of computational thinking is in thinking like a computer scientist when confronted with a problem. Among other things,this entails thinking logically and algorithmicallyunderstanding not onlynotions of flow of control in a programmatic solutionbut also how to systematically break down a problem and then compose an algorithmic solution.16A survey for the Guardian (UK) shows that so far 33% of boys and just 17% of girls have learned any computer coding skills at school Computer science must be taught as a subject inschoolsor the UK could lose its globally competitive position. Mike Short, President, TheInstitution of Engineering and Technology, UKProgramming should be part of the primary maths curriculum. Learning to code should be seen in the same way as learning the skill of handwriting so children can then use it as a tool for solving problems in a wider context. Conrad Wolfram, WolframAlpha.com(From Louise Tickle, The Guardian,Tuesday 21 August 2012)

The UK SceneAt a deeper level, children need to "learn to conceptualise the problem they're creating the code to solve. It's actually very creative.

17The US SceneIn 2012, only 24,782 students in the United States out of over 14million took the Computer Science Advanced Placement test. This is less than 0.7% of all AP tests taken.

This at a time when five of the top ten fastest growing jobs will be in a computer related field and two of the top three top bachelors salaries are in computer science and engineering. - http://tealsk12.org/

In a 2012 report ... noted that the United States must produce 1 million more professionals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEMx) over the next decade to regain its global competitiveness. Though women make up 50.8 percent of the U.S. population, they only represented 22.6 percent of those earning master's degrees in engineering in 2011. - http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2013/03/14/revamped-engineering-programs-emphasize-real-world-problem-solvingIn NSW (2011) < 6% of Year 12s studied any IT subject (in terms of the girls its under 2%).

Yet around 67% took Mathematics.

No student entering a Science or Engineering degree would even consider avoiding Mathematics. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for either ICT literacy (the equivalent of numeracy) or Computer Science (the equivalent of Mathematics like algebra and calculus).Dr James Curran, School of Information Technologies, University of Sydney National Computer Science School https://groklearning.com/challenge

Australia is worse!Situation at SPLC