Computational Thinking and Expository Writing in the Middle School
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| Title: | Computational Thinking and Expository Writing in the Middle School |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Wolz, Ursula, Stone, Meredith, Pearson, Kim, Pulimood, Sarah Monisha, Switzer, Mary |
| Source: | ACM Transactions on Computing Education. Jul 2011 11(2). |
| Availability: | Association for Computing Machinery. 2 Penn Plaza Suite 701, New York, NY 10121. Tel: 800-342-6626; Tel: 212-626-0500; Fax: 212-944-1318; e-mail: acmhelp@acm.org; Web site: http://www.acm.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2011 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education Grade 7 Grade 8 Junior High Schools Middle Schools |
| Descriptors: | Expository Writing, Journalism Education, Computer Science Education, Demonstration Programs, Middle School Students, Computer Attitudes, Program Effectiveness, Grade 7, Grade 8, Middle School Teachers, Summer Programs, Interdisciplinary Approach, After School Programs |
| Geographic Terms: | New Jersey |
| DOI: | 10.1145/1993069.1993073 |
| ISSN: | 1946-6226 |
| Abstract: | To broaden participation in computing we need to look beyond traditional domains of inquiry and expertise. We present results from a demonstration project in which interactive journalism was used to infuse computational thinking into the standard curriculum and regular classroom experience at a middle school with a diverse population. Outcomes indicate that we were able to develop positive attitudes about computational thinking and programming among students and teachers who did not necessarily view themselves as "math types." By partnering with language arts, technology and math teachers at Fisher Middle School, Ewing New Jersey, we introduced the isomorphism between the journalistic process and computational thinking to 7th and 8th graders. An intense summer institute, first with the teachers and then with students recruited from the school, immersed them in the "newsroom of the future" where they researched and wrote news stories, shot and edited video, and developed procedural animations in Scratch to support their storylines. An afterschool club sustained the experience. The teachers adapted interactive journalism and Scratch programming to enrich standard language arts curriculum and are infusing computational thinking in classroom experiences throughout the school. (Contains 12 tables, 1 figure and 9 footnotes.) |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 40 |
| Entry Date: | 2011 |
| Accession Number: | EJ944813 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | To broaden participation in computing we need to look beyond traditional domains of inquiry and expertise. We present results from a demonstration project in which interactive journalism was used to infuse computational thinking into the standard curriculum and regular classroom experience at a middle school with a diverse population. Outcomes indicate that we were able to develop positive attitudes about computational thinking and programming among students and teachers who did not necessarily view themselves as "math types." By partnering with language arts, technology and math teachers at Fisher Middle School, Ewing New Jersey, we introduced the isomorphism between the journalistic process and computational thinking to 7th and 8th graders. An intense summer institute, first with the teachers and then with students recruited from the school, immersed them in the "newsroom of the future" where they researched and wrote news stories, shot and edited video, and developed procedural animations in Scratch to support their storylines. An afterschool club sustained the experience. The teachers adapted interactive journalism and Scratch programming to enrich standard language arts curriculum and are infusing computational thinking in classroom experiences throughout the school. (Contains 12 tables, 1 figure and 9 footnotes.) |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1946-6226 |
| DOI: | 10.1145/1993069.1993073 |
