That was so much fun!
The digital technologies design brief required implementation of two major processes of computational thinking: thinking about the steps needed to solve the problem and then using technical skills to get the computer working on the problem. The main processes of computational thinking that were supported in my digital technologies design task involved the concept of logic and the approaches of tinkering and creating.
When encountering something new, one often tinkers to find out what it does and how it works. Coding and programming an object is a new concept to me so the challenge was approached as a purposeful exploration and making, through trial and improvement. This risk free environment helped stimulate my confidence and build perseverance in something that I find quite difficult and sometimes very frustrating.
Creating is about planning, making and evaluating, and therefore, the programming of the robot was a creative process that solved a problem. Approaching the design brief as a creative process, supported many concepts of computational thinking. Focusing on what was important is based on the concept of abstraction. By initially identifying what was important without worrying about too much detail, I was able to manage complexity. Breaking problems down into smaller steps is known as decomposition and application of this concept assisted me by managing a large and daunting problem into smaller related tasks that were more achievable. Logical reasoning is the process of using existing knowledge to make a reliable prediction, and analysis by explaining why something has or has not worked. Logical reasoning helped me to predict and analyse various aspects throughout the task. Logical reasoning was used to think through each step in order to predict what the outcome of the algorithms might be for example, mathematical calculations were used to work out the distance the robot needs to travel to cover 2 x 40cm x 40cm squares. Logical reasoning was also used to think through steps to detect the location of errors such as the angle of the curves and the speed the robot travelled at by breaking down a larger algorithm into smaller elements first and testing each in turn to help the debugging process. This decomposition process required logical thinking to detect the most suitable places to split the algorithm and logical reasoning to work out how the error should be fixed.
On a final note, this assessment has taught me so much more than I had hoped for. Although I did not execute any elaborate or complicated tasks, the new knowledge and skills developed throughout the course have significantly decreased my insecurities as a digital immigrant. My fear about digital technologies has decreased and my excitement about digital technologies and its profound effect on learning have been securely reinforced.
The digital technologies design brief required implementation of two major processes of computational thinking: thinking about the steps needed to solve the problem and then using technical skills to get the computer working on the problem. The main processes of computational thinking that were supported in my digital technologies design task involved the concept of logic and the approaches of tinkering and creating.
When encountering something new, one often tinkers to find out what it does and how it works. Coding and programming an object is a new concept to me so the challenge was approached as a purposeful exploration and making, through trial and improvement. This risk free environment helped stimulate my confidence and build perseverance in something that I find quite difficult and sometimes very frustrating.
Creating is about planning, making and evaluating, and therefore, the programming of the robot was a creative process that solved a problem. Approaching the design brief as a creative process, supported many concepts of computational thinking. Focusing on what was important is based on the concept of abstraction. By initially identifying what was important without worrying about too much detail, I was able to manage complexity. Breaking problems down into smaller steps is known as decomposition and application of this concept assisted me by managing a large and daunting problem into smaller related tasks that were more achievable. Logical reasoning is the process of using existing knowledge to make a reliable prediction, and analysis by explaining why something has or has not worked. Logical reasoning helped me to predict and analyse various aspects throughout the task. Logical reasoning was used to think through each step in order to predict what the outcome of the algorithms might be for example, mathematical calculations were used to work out the distance the robot needs to travel to cover 2 x 40cm x 40cm squares. Logical reasoning was also used to think through steps to detect the location of errors such as the angle of the curves and the speed the robot travelled at by breaking down a larger algorithm into smaller elements first and testing each in turn to help the debugging process. This decomposition process required logical thinking to detect the most suitable places to split the algorithm and logical reasoning to work out how the error should be fixed.
On a final note, this assessment has taught me so much more than I had hoped for. Although I did not execute any elaborate or complicated tasks, the new knowledge and skills developed throughout the course have significantly decreased my insecurities as a digital immigrant. My fear about digital technologies has decreased and my excitement about digital technologies and its profound effect on learning have been securely reinforced.