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CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

csunplugged.org

21–30 of 47 posts

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#21

Tim Bell, one of the creators of CS Unplugged, was one of my lecturers at the University of Canterbury, and before that he taught me the fundamentals of computer science at the NZ Olympiad of Informatics training camp when I was at high school. It would be fair to say that he's a significant part of the reason I'm a software developer. I've never met a man so passionate and interested in the pedagogy of computer scie…

I still picture Tim ripping a phone book in half over and over every time I think about binary search. I assumed that's how they taught it everywhere else

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#22
post #20

Inspired by this, I led a group of 5th graders and high school students through a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich robot" exercise. I had a blast and so did the kids. We had them list some steps to make a pb&j sandwich, and then I, as the robot acted the steps out as literally as possible. When they said "gather materials", I went around the room and picked up erasers, markers, water bottles; whatever I could find.…

Sounds awesome, but they let you have peanut butter in schools? In Australia nuts are banned in primary schools due to nut allergies.

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#23
post #20

Inspired by this, I led a group of 5th graders and high school students through a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich robot" exercise. I had a blast and so did the kids. We had them list some steps to make a pb&j sandwich, and then I, as the robot acted the steps out as literally as possible. When they said "gather materials", I went around the room and picked up erasers, markers, water bottles; whatever I could find.…

Sounds awesome, but they let you have peanut butter in schools? In Australia nuts are banned in primary schools due to nut allergies.

I guess there are people who have sunlight allergies. Wanna ban sunlight in australian schools?

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds awesome, but they let you have peanut butter in schools? In Australia nuts are banned in primary schools due to nut allergies.

I guess there are people who have sunlight allergies. Wanna ban sunlight in australian schools?

Well, peanut allergy is lethal and can be triggered by even inhalation of peanut dust in more severe cases.

Sensitivity to sunlight is way more manageable (by applying sunscreen and covering the skin) and although kids share food and/or eat them in the same environment I don't think they're carrying UV lights to apply to other kids.

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#25
post #20

Inspired by this, I led a group of 5th graders and high school students through a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich robot" exercise. I had a blast and so did the kids. We had them list some steps to make a pb&j sandwich, and then I, as the robot acted the steps out as literally as possible. When they said "gather materials", I went around the room and picked up erasers, markers, water bottles; whatever I could find.…

I've seen this video a while ago, where a father does this with his kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDA3_5982h8

Lots of frustration about the stupid robot and I guess your school kids weren't much different.

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#26
post #4
post #3

Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. - Dijkstra

"Calling it 'computer science' is like calling surgery 'knife science'." ~ also Dijkstra

In french there is a dedicated word: 'Informatique'. Which is a portmanteau word for automatic information

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#27
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess there are people who have sunlight allergies. Wanna ban sunlight in australian schools?

Well, peanut allergy is lethal and can be triggered by even inhalation of peanut dust in more severe cases. Sensitivity to sunlight is way more manageable (by applying sunscreen and covering the skin) and although kids share food and/or eat them in the same environment I don't think they're carrying UV lights to apply to other kids.

Neither are they carrying peanut butter to apply to other kids.

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would love for "Computology" to become the preferred term.

Computational Science.

That term is already taken for people who use computers to do science, e.g. physicists doing computational modelling.

Re: CS Unplugged: Computer Science Without a Computer

#30
post #20

Inspired by this, I led a group of 5th graders and high school students through a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich robot" exercise. I had a blast and so did the kids. We had them list some steps to make a pb&j sandwich, and then I, as the robot acted the steps out as literally as possible. When they said "gather materials", I went around the room and picked up erasers, markers, water bottles; whatever I could find.…

Sounds awesome, but they let you have peanut butter in schools? In Australia nuts are banned in primary schools due to nut allergies.

Sounds a bit overkill tbh. Atleast in my school the guys above simply decreed that if someone had an allergy, everyone should be mindful of it (of course, one bully tried but after he got charged for attempted murder on the aftermath nobody else dared).

That counted for allergies other than peanuts too which can be just as severe.

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