Explore and create: Deep-dive Creation lab 
Preregistration Required
The purpose of this session is to provide meaningful insight, active exploration and conversation around the integration of Computational Thinking (CT) into Early Learning practice.
A variety of tools and resources will be shared through active learning and presentations all with the purpose of encouraging conversations, discussions and thought about the powerful use of CT routines and activities with young learners.
Tools to be included are robotics, collaborative tools, communication tools, and more.
This session will be successful if educators find themselves incorporating CT in their own educational settings. Furthermore, the session will be successful if participants are still thinking about things they did, explored, saw, spoke about with others in the following days and months.
Through the interactive online support/resource/sharing site provided for participants, we intend to support and encourage continued growth and sharing of implementation of ideas prompted, discovered, or influenced by their participation in this session.
This session will provide hands-on/minds-on exploration and discussion related to the foundational elements of Computational Thinking for young learners.
Interactive Element (Pattern Recognition) on tables (or chairs) as participants enter
Welcome, Introduction (15 min)
Presenter introduction and Participant introduction to others sitting nearby. (3 min)
Quick Reflection/Debrief on the Interactive Element. (likely a coded message or other simple thinking tool) (5 min)
Session goals and objectives (5 min) via presentation and online tool
Overview of Computational Thinking (10 min)
Why CT? Why does it matter with little learners (10 min via presentation and discussion)
Online knowledge “sharing” (3 min via online tool, likely Padlet)
Pattern Recognition (10 min)
What and Why of Pattern Recognition
Examples of Pattern Recognition
Low tech examples from within class settings
Tech enriched examples from within class settings
Other considerations (characteristics, vocabulary)
Reflect on earlier Pattern Recognition task
Sharing to online additional examples/ideas (via online tool, Padlet or other.
Decomposition (15 min)
What and Why of Decomposition
Examples of Decomposition
Low tech examples from within class settings
Tech enriched examples from within class settings
Hands-on experience with decomposition
Sharing to online additional examples/ideas (via online tool, Padlet or other.
Abstraction (10 min)
What and Why of Abstraction
Examples of Abstraction
Low tech examples from within class settings
Tech enriched examples from within class settings
Sharing to online additional examples/ideas (via online tool, Padlet or other.
Algorithm (Algorithmic Thinking) (15 min)
What and Why of Algorithms
Examples of Algorithmic Thinking
Low tech examples from within class settings
Tech enriched examples from within class settings
Hands on with Algorithmic thinking
Sharing to online additional examples/ideas (via online tool, Padlet or other.
Discussion - What have we learned? Next Steps? (10 min)
Through discussion, small and large group sharing and online sharing participants will be led to explore their own next steps in adding, or adding more, CT to their program/teaching.
Closure, Gratitude, evaluation and questions (5 min)
Time for those with individual questions/discussions with the presenter as participants leave.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). Computational thinking. competencies. http://www.iste.org/standards/computational-thinking
Lavigne, H., Presser, A. L., Rosenfeld, D., Wolsky, M., & Andrews. J. (2020). Creating a preschool computational thinking learning blueprint to guide the development of learning resources for young children. Connected Science Learning, 2 (2). https://www.nsta.org/connected-science-learning/connected-science-learning-april-june-2020/creating-preschool
https://www.ijcses.org/index.php/ijcses/article/view/53/55
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WGSFEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=ISTE+computational+thinking&ots=O-FUw6fwrR&sig=oYZVr27mnW19lUvZ4vZtGx5W1l8#v=onepage&q=ISTE%20computational%20thinking&f=false
https://sites.tufts.edu/devtech/files/2018/05/EDUCON.pdf
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ918910
Dietz, G., Landay, J., & Gweon, H. (2019). Building blocks of computational thinking: Young children's developing capacities for problem decomposition. Cognitive Science, 1647–1653.
A google account may be useful.
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