Computational Participation

Kafai argues that computational thinking should be rebranded as computational participation because, “[computational thinking and programming] offer a context for making applications of significance for others [and creating] communities in which design sharing and collaboration with others are paramount” (26). One important aspect of nurturing computational participation is helping students develop the skills and tools to create a real product that they can share with others.

This is my second year as a teacher but due to my role as teacher-librarian, I have had the chance to lead several units where students developed computational participation skills. One highlight was leading a set of Lego Robotics lessons during our electives. Students got to request the elective of their choice. My group and I made sumo bots and held a tournament at its end. Each team had to work together to build and code their bot. They customized their robotic to create the best sumo and made updates to improve their design. We had an amazing tournament at the end and the students were fully engaged in creating the best bot.

Questions

What other materials can be used to develop students’ ideas about programming and computational participation?

How can teachers use computational participation in way that will be meaningful and authentic for our students?

Works Cited

Kafai, Yasmin B. “From Computational Thinking to Computational Participation in K-12 Education.” Communications of the ACM, vol. 59, no. 8, Aug. 2016, pp. 26–27. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.proxy.queensu.ca/10.1145/2955114.

Comments

  1. Ms. B HerselfMay 10, 2023 at 1:58 PM

    Nicole B-R: I think at a younger age the Ozo bots or other small robots are great resources for learning coding. The students I have worked with had trouble learning that the robot only does what it is told so translating what you want it to do into the code is a great lesson.

    Teaching computational participation is a great question, I learned from reading Yasmin B. Kafai's article that what is taught must be related to what they are learning in class. Therefore I think maybe finding a way to expand lessons so they include some kind of coding would be a great way to include this type of thinking in the classroom. For example creating a game that relates to a topic like storytelling or a math concept for others in the class to play.

    ReplyDelete
  2. KappaBattaMay 11, 2023 at 9:54 PM

    Matthew here...
    Sara - Once again I am in awe of your experiences. Creating "sumo bots"? That is exactly what I would have loved in elementary school. So, to answer your second question, teachers can use computational participation exactly as you do. Create a customizable competition and let the students run wild. A terrific outcome.

    ReplyDelete

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