This was a presentation I was very much looking forward to and nervous for.Ā First, growing up on the lower mainland, Science World holds a very special place in my memory.Ā I remember school trips, trips with my parents and even a sleepover in Science World.Ā There were so many exhibits at Science World that blew my mind as a child and there was also, of course, the Omnimax theatre that never disappointed.Ā I was nervous though because whenever I see the word ācodingā I feel frustrated because I have never considered myself to have a computationally inclined brain.Ā I grew up in a time when students were good at some things but not others and I never considered myself to have the logic to be able to figure out computational problems.Ā I always loved math, but I often struggled to apply it to other aspects of life which is essentially what Applied Design, Skills and Technology (ADST) is all about.
What I loved about Carrieās presentation were the activities.Ā Both the Tour Guide and Knights Tour activities broke through my fixed mindset and showed me that I can think computationally.Ā I think that these activities would be so important to introduce to students to show them the same thing, that anyone can think that way and with a little practice, one can become quite good and coding without computers.Ā I am excited to delve further into the resources that Carrie has provided us and I hope to be able to do an ADST lesson with my students in my next practicums.
Jordan Hall
My lack of computational thinking (or so I thought) made me nervous for this presentation too! I felt like coding was a very complex art and that the applied design and tech were just not in my cards. However!! How much fun did I have creating these pathways and essentially creating patterns for robots to follow aka coding! I was blown away that this simple act of creating patterns and logical reasoning was coding. I loved how this was shown in such an inclusive way and as you said, the activities were also my favourite take away. I cannot wait to try these out with my own students, to allow them to explore coding and getting their fellow classmates to complete their codes!
ashlie.cook
I am so happy to hear that I am not the only one who gets nervous when they hear the word coding. I unfortunately was not able to attend this presentation, however through reading some of the blog posts about it i feel less stressed about computational thinking. The activities Carrie did with you guys sound like they would be so amazing to bring into the classroom. I can’t wait to explore more of her resources and hopefully one day bring them into my classroom as well.