In this digital world of new devices, from smartphones to tablets, challenging questions arise. How to define developmentally appropriate activities and content for children of different ages? Computers and smartphones offer new ways of presenting and interacting with information. There is a huge shift in the education across the globe to transform kids from being consumers to being creators and innovators. Coding has been defined as the hardest jobs in th world, so number of consumers are higher than developers which is not so true. In this technological world educators are focused on 21st century skills for kids. The main aim of 21st century skills is to teach deeper or effective learning. Mainly collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, communication, team work and complex problem solving. To fulfill the requirement of 21st century skills education of computational thinking is most important for the kids. Computational thinking has been defined in many ways but in simple words it is activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating a mathematical sequence of steps know as algorithm. Computational thinking is about looking at systems in a way that considers how computers can be used to solve tasks, model the data and to generate real solutions.
Elements of computational thinking has been described below:
Decomposition: Breaking down data, processes, or problems into smaller, manageable parts.
Algorithm: Algorithms are the step by step instructions to get something done or the set of rules describing how something works.
Logic: Predicting, analyzing and reasoning.
Patterns, Sequencing: Recognizing and using similarities and differences.
Evaluation/Abstraction: It is the way to arrange things. To reflect on process and outcomes, capturing the important structure of the system.
What is learning?
Learning is flexible changes in thinking, attitudes and strategies. Learning is an insight, understanding, a new combination of knowledge and skills, and the organization of data structures. This implies the adaption of new concepts and the expansion and deepening of perceptions.
What we believe:
We believe learning computational thinking in early stage empower children and give them tools to express themselves. In our game learning is not about forcing children to adapt knowledge, but letting them creatively lead the way in cleverly designed game environment. There is huge shift in education system around the globe. Our main aim is to convert consumers to creators and innovators. So we believe, to solve the everyday problems everybody needs to learn basic of computer programming. And it should start from very early stage.
Coding and daily life relation?
Our main goal is to teach kids, parents and teachers that programming and coding are not so complicated. It has a direct relation to our daily life. For example, just like we make decisions, when given some actions computers do make decisions. We
use IF/ELSE statement everywhere and every day in our life. For example, before you go outside you have an IF statement that says IF it is raining then take an umbrella with you ELSE No need. Computers are amazing once you decide those kinds of statements that they can reliably execute those things and at an unbelievable speed. A computer program really is a little bit of math and some IF statements where the decision is made.
Everybody knows how to walk right and move left and right leg. Move your left and right leg in the loop until you arrive your destination. You can think of putting a soap in your hand and how many times do you want to rub it? Just like in normal life loops works until certain conditions are met and for a certain number of times in computers too. Isn’t this interesting?
Coding is like story telling. You can express your feeling by writing on piece of paper. In same way coding helps you express yourself.
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