DFI - Week 8

Computational Thinking

Our introduction into computational thinking and using coding programmes made for some interesting, albeit some slightly frustrating learning today.  

Vicki gave everyone alot to think about with the moral and ethics that surround digital development and use.  It certainly gave me food for thought and the ethics modelling software made available was undoubtly confronting.  What would we choose?  What will we choose? ...  Technological advances are mindblowing and once upon a time the thought of a thinking, learning robot, like Sofia, was stuff of movies, really does indicate that the skys the limit!  As educators we certainly need to equip our tamariki with the skills to not only keep up with technology advances but be part of the technological 21st century innovators.  Aren't we lucky to part of a Manaiakalani community where people like Pat Sneddon and Dorothy Burt could see the writing on the wall and through what I can only imagine to be dogged determination set about to equip our students with the knowledge and skills needed for a technologically focussed future?

I enjoyed re-visiting our new digital technologies curriculum and took heart that within my year 5/6 class, we are giving our students opportunities to demonstrate their computational thinking using an unplugged coding experience.  I enjoyed watching the teachers from Manaiakalani on air share their coding classroom teaching.  This allowed time for me to think about the applicability of their lessons with my own students. 

However, when it became my turn to create using Scratch, I realised that practice clearly was the only way forward to familiarise with how to coordinate the movements of a sprite.   It was handy to know that the grid background would allow me to see and set the coordinates of the blue movement coding block successfully.  Instead of my sprite dissappearing off the background, I was able to use the grid to help me position my sprite more accurately.  Here is the little 10 block (really 11 block) challenge I completed.  My best beginning Scratch effort to date.  I can only keep getting better right!