The Power of Computational Thinking


Book Description

"The power of computational thinking shows that learning to think can be fascinating fun. Can you become a computational thinker? Can machines have brains? Do computers really see and understand the world? Can games help us to study nature, save lives and design the future? Can you use computational thinking in your everyday activities? Yes, and this book show you how."--Back cover.




Power Of Computational Thinking, The: Games, Magic And Puzzles To Help You Become A Computational Thinker


Book Description

From the team behind Computer Science for Fun (cs4fn), The Power of Computational Thinking shows that learning to think can be fascinating fun.Yes, and this book shows you how.Computational thinking has changed the way we all live, work and play. It has changed the way science is done too; won wars, created whole new industries and saved lives. It is at the heart of computer programming and is a powerful approach to problem solving, with or without computers. It is so important that many countries now require that primary school children learn the skills.Professors Paul Curzon and Peter McOwan of Queen Mary University of London have written a unique and enjoyable introduction. They describe the elements of computational thinking — such as algorithmic thinking, decomposition, abstraction and pattern matching — in an entertaining and accessible way, using magic tricks, games and puzzles, as well as through real and challenging problems that computer scientists work on.This book gives you a head start in learning the skills needed for coding, and will improve your real life problem solving skills. It will help you design and evaluate new technologies, as well as understand both your own brain and the digital world in a deeper way.




Handbook of Research on Tools for Teaching Computational Thinking in P-12 Education


Book Description

While the growth of computational thinking has brought new awareness to the importance of computing education, it has also created new challenges. Many educational initiatives focus solely on the programming aspects, such as variables, loops, conditionals, parallelism, operators, and data handling, divorcing computing from real-world contexts and applications. This decontextualization threatens to make learners believe that they do not need to learn computing, as they cannot envision a future in which they will need to use it, just as many see math and physics education as unnecessary. The Handbook of Research on Tools for Teaching Computational Thinking in P-12 Education is a cutting-edge research publication that examines the implementation of computational thinking into school curriculum in order to develop creative problem-solving skills and to build a computational identity which will allow for future STEM growth. Moreover, the book advocates for a new approach to computing education that argues that while learning about computing, young people should also have opportunities to create with computing, which will have a direct impact on their lives and their communities. Featuring a wide range of topics such as assessment, digital teaching, and educational robotics, this book is ideal for academicians, instructional designers, teachers, education professionals, administrators, researchers, and students.




Computational Thinking in Education


Book Description

Computational Thinking in Education explores the relevance of computational thinking in primary and secondary education. As today’s school-aged students prepare to live and work in a thoroughly digitized world, computer science is providing a wealth of new learning concepts and opportunities across domains. This book offers a comprehensive overview of computational thinking, its history, implications for equity and inclusion, analyses of competencies in practice, and integration into learning, instruction, and assessment through scaffolded teacher education. Computer science education faculty and pre- and in-service educators will find a fresh pedagogical approach to computational thinking in primary and secondary classrooms.




Research Anthology on Developments in Gamification and Game-Based Learning


Book Description

Technology has increasingly become utilized in classroom settings in order to allow students to enhance their experiences and understanding. Among such technologies that are being implemented into course work are game-based learning programs. Introducing game-based learning into the classroom can help to improve students’ communication and teamwork skills and build more meaningful connections to the subject matter. While this growing field has numerous benefits for education at all levels, it is important to understand and acknowledge the current best practices of gamification and game-based learning and better learn how they are correctly implemented in all areas of education. The Research Anthology on Developments in Gamification and Game-Based Learning is a comprehensive reference source that considers all aspects of gamification and game-based learning in an educational context including the benefits, difficulties, opportunities, and future directions. Covering a wide range of topics including game concepts, mobile learning, educational games, and learning processes, it is an ideal resource for academicians, researchers, curricula developers, instructional designers, technologists, IT specialists, education professionals, administrators, software designers, students, and stakeholders in all levels of education.




Computational Thinking Education


Book Description

This This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license.This book offers a comprehensive guide, covering every important aspect of computational thinking education. It provides an in-depth discussion of computational thinking, including the notion of perceiving computational thinking practices as ways of mapping models from the abstraction of data and process structures to natural phenomena. Further, it explores how computational thinking education is implemented in different regions, and how computational thinking is being integrated into subject learning in K-12 education. In closing, it discusses computational thinking from the perspective of STEM education, the use of video games to teach computational thinking, and how computational thinking is helping to transform the quality of the workforce in the textile and apparel industry.




Computational Thinking for Problem Solving and Managerial Mindset Training


Book Description

The cultural, social, and economic history of mankind is characterized by a succession of needs and problems that have stimulated the invention of operational and conceptual tools to facilitate their solution. The continuous presentation of new needs, an attempt to improve partial solutions to old problems, curiosity, and the disinterested search for knowledge then constituted the fundamental push for scientific, cultural, economic, and social progress. In an increasingly digital society, where software technological tools permeate daily life and, consequently, change the management of reality, mastering of transversal skills is crucial for success. Computational thinking is a set of transversal skills related to the foundations of computer science as a scientific discipline and means a mastering to the process of solving problems. The goal of computational thinking is to acquire interpretative perspectives of reality, which allows one to read the digital experience competently and responsibly. Computational Thinking for Problem Solving and Managerial Mindset Training explores how individuals can be trained into managerial mindsets through computational thinking and computer science. It explores how computer science can be used as a valid guideline to develop skills such as effective soft skills, communication skills, and collaboration. Further, the chapters explore the adoption of computational thinking for individuals to gain managerial mindsets and successfully solve questions and problems in their domain of interest. This will include artificial intelligence applications, strategic thinking, management training, ethics, emergency managerial mindsets, and more. This book is valuable for managers, professionals, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in how computational thinking can be applied for the training of managerial mindsets.




Computational Thinking Education in K-12


Book Description

A guide to computational thinking education, with a focus on artificial intelligence literacy and the integration of computing and physical objects. Computing has become an essential part of today’s primary and secondary school curricula. In recent years, K–12 computer education has shifted from computer science itself to the broader perspective of computational thinking (CT), which is less about technology than a way of thinking and solving problems—“a fundamental skill for everyone, not just computer scientists,” in the words of Jeanette Wing, author of a foundational article on CT. This volume introduces a variety of approaches to CT in K–12 education, offering a wide range of international perspectives that focus on artificial intelligence (AI) literacy and the integration of computing and physical objects. The book first offers an overview of CT and its importance in K–12 education, covering such topics as the rationale for teaching CT; programming as a general problem-solving skill; and the “phenomenon-based learning” approach. It then addresses the educational implications of the explosion in AI research, discussing, among other things, the importance of teaching children to be conscientious designers and consumers of AI. Finally, the book examines the increasing influence of physical devices in CT education, considering the learning opportunities offered by robotics. Contributors Harold Abelson, Cynthia Breazeal, Karen Brennan, Michael E. Caspersen, Christian Dindler, Daniella DiPaola, Nardie Fanchamps, Christina Gardner-McCune, Mark Guzdial, Kai Hakkarainen, Fredrik Heintz, Paul Hennissen, H. Ulrich Hoppe, Ole Sejer Iversen, Siu-Cheung Kong, Wai-Ying Kwok, Sven Manske, Jesús Moreno-León, Blakeley H. Payne, Sini Riikonen, Gregorio Robles, Marcos Román-González, Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, Ju-Ling Shih, Pasi Silander, Lou Slangen, Rachel Charlotte Smith, Marcus Specht, Florence R. Sullivan, David S. Touretzky




Conjuring With Computation: A Manual Of Magic And Computing For Beginners


Book Description

The team behind Computer Science for Fun (CS4FN), brings you Conjuring with Computation: A Manual of Magic and Computing for Beginners. Develop your skills as a magician while also learning the basics of computer science by exploring its links to magic. Each chapter explains how to do a simple magic trick, step-by-step, then uses the trick to introduce linked fundamental ideas in computer science in a fun way.By reading the book you will learn to do self-working tricks, be able to hold magic shows, create your own versions of tricks, and with creativity even invent your own. We cover:The book includes profiles of computer scientists, alongside magicians with links to technology, through history.Master conjuring and thinking computationally.




Fix IT


Book Description

New technologies like AI, medical apps and implants seem very exciting but they too often have bugs and are susceptible to cyberattacks. Even well-established technologies like infusion pumps, pacemakers and radiotherapy aren't immune. Until digital healthcare improves, digital risk means that patients may be harmed unnecessarily, and healthcare staff will continue to be blamed for problems when it's not their fault. This book tells stories of widespread problems with digital healthcare. The stories inspire and challenge anyone who wants to make hospitals and healthcare better. The stories and their resolutions will empower patients, clinical staff and digital developers to help transform digital healthcare to make it safer and more effective. This book is not just about the bugs and cybersecurity threats that affect digital healthcare. More importantly, it's about the solutions that can make digital healthcare much safer.