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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
FullText Text:
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  Data: 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
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  Data: 10.1145/1993069.1993073
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: 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.)
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  Data: 2011
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      – SubjectFull: Expository Writing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Journalism Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Computer Science Education
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      – SubjectFull: Middle School Students
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      – SubjectFull: Middle School Teachers
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      – SubjectFull: New Jersey
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