Standard 6.3 | Criterion 21 - Create opportunities for students to use a design process and/or computational thinking. Create learning opportunities that challenge students to use a design process and computational thinking to innovate and solve problems. (PSC-IT 6.3/ISTE-E 6c) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To address Criterion 21, use the assignment developed in ITEC 7485 titledCreative Computing. [Upload the assignment to a cloud-based folder called ITEC 7485 as you will need it later in the ITEC program.] Criteria Focus
Design and computational thinking are powerful competencies for problem-solving. Building those skills requires designing and implementing activities opportunities for learners to gain practice.
This criteria focuses on how you design for and implement on a regular basis, including using technology to do so.
Checklist Criteria
In my instruction, I provide evidence of the design and implementation of a recognized design-thinking or computational thinking process.
My artifact outlines each of the steps of either the design thinking process or computational thinking process.
Each step explains the learning activities and process for learners to complete.
Write notes below on the contextualization of the artifact and a description of its implementation by addressing the criteria focus and checklist criteria above.
Design Process
On day 1, I modeled the design process framework. I showed the students how each step worked and what the final product should be for that specific step. The Creative Play Process was the process that most clearly fit my lesson. Similarly to our initial Low-Tech design project, the Creative Play allowed students to be reflective in their own thinking. This helped improve the motivation of the students on their own project. Students actively imagined what they would actually build or create in Scratch.
Creative Play (Inspire, Imagine, Create, Play Share),
Students will decide on a particular figurative language concept that they would be interested in teaching. This will determine what they feel inspired them to decide on that particular concept.
Students will brainstorm using a storyboard sheet that will be submitted to me. The students will brainstorm what their scene will look like and what it will explain about the concept. Students can tell a story, design a short film, or create a slide show using Scratch. This will be a sketch of their idea. The instructor will evaluate the student's idea and determine if the student has a feasible storyboard that is cohesive.
Students will create a product that explains their particular figurative language concept. The instructor's role is to evaluate students' ability to clearly define their figurative language concepts. This evaluation will be based on the accuracy of the definition.
Students will play their scene for the class and then students will rate their peers' assignment. This group collaboration will demonstrate and allow students to display their work. The instructor will grade the final product and assess the cohesion and continuity of the project.
The share component will be in the classroom first and then based on the ratings, we will share these with the broader school. We will recommend that students who have exceptional storyboards will have the opportunity to submit their videos for playback on school media platforms.
Computational Thinking
Students are taking the abstraction of Figurative language and combining it with the concrete implementation of technology. The code shows how well the students can identify patterns within Scratch code and then apply them to the figurative language concept and be able to teach the concept to students while being required to create the product with no template. The use of Code allows students to think algorithmically in combining functions on Scratch. In this process, students are required to recognize how the patterns of the pages and sprites move based on different code implementations, and students can test and debug collaboratively in class using the class document with the links to the Scratch projects.
In our Creative Computing Project, I observed significant instances of computational thinking among the students. Abstraction was evident as they translated abstract concepts of figurative language into concrete implementations through coding. Decomposition was apparent as they broke down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps when creating their Scratch projects. Pattern recognition was demonstrated as students identified recurring structures and behaviors within the Scratch code to achieve their desired outcomes.
Algorithms played a crucial role as students used step-by-step procedures to execute specific actions or solve problems within their projects. Additionally, debugging and testing were prominent as students encountered errors in their code and crafted their solutions through trial and error.
To encourage more computational thinking in the lesson, I would integrate additional activities that explicitly focus on each aspect of computational thinking. For instance, I might introduce structured exercises to enhance pattern recognition skills, such as identifying common coding patterns within existing Scratch projects. I could also incorporate algorithmic challenges where students must devise efficient sequences of code to achieve given objectives. Overall, by integrating targeted activities and fostering a collaborative learning environment, I believe we can further enhance students' computational thinking skills in the Creative Computing Project.
**Be sure to take pictures/capture evidence of you implementing the assignment noted here and put that evidence in the folder you created.**