DFI 7 - 16 May 2019 - Computational Thinking

Empowered

Originally used the word agency - meaning students having choice around things.

Chromebook not just a tool - need to use it to transform their learning and have new experiences.

Often students are coming to school with less language skills due to parents working and the use of a mixture of English and the home language.

If you are strong in one language then you will be able to transfer the skills to another language. Extended conversation is good for developing literacy - 5 + challenge

Deep Dive 

Pam Ferguson Charitable Trust - teaches kids to innovate with technology

OMG Tech

Mana Tangata

e-Pou

IGD Project

Institute of Awesome

Voluntari.ly

Mainly working in communities where there is a sense of deprivation.

If a robot can do the same as humans then what is the cost? What needs to change with the vision of the future world? How will this affect our kids?

What does it mean to be human?

Driverless cars - programmed in the factory, avoidance tactics included. Questions around who programs the cars, do we know?  

Technology has become a mystery - we have ceded responsibility. It is important we need to be present with regards to how technology is introduced. Where is our tech going? What is the moral responsibility?

Are we preparing our students for the future in a technological aspect? I'll explore this with my Kaiarahi class. They need to know how to use tech and how it is already being used in the future. How do our students fit into a future that is very foreign to them? We do have entrepreneurs around that are in NZ. A lot of companies are foreign owned. 

Technology needs to be taught in context. How can we use technology to make a difference?

Curricular

Is in context - "In authentic contexts and taking into account the end users"

Computational Thinking and Designing &developing digital outcomes - the two strands

Interesting to see that Music composition is seen as a digital technology - I try to do this in my classes. 

Digital Fluency is different to digital Technology

Need to start to use the discipline language

Coding - Scratch

It is free, doesn't have a large literacy component. Comes from www.scratch.mit.edu 

Makey, Makey - can turn anything into a computer, can look at science, conductivity, electricity, etc.

Binary

Went over the Binary code and did some maths problems.

I found today quite difficult and very intensive. The discussion around Ethics and Morals was very good and I appreciated Adie's input. He really helped us to think about how all the new ideas/concepts related to our life and job. As I come back to this blog post days later I am still thinking about the AI robots and how they will affect our life and the ethics of the programming position for the driverless cars. This is the future of our rangatahi - maybe not in my lifetime but definitely it is coming. I do find it pretty scary.