Computational Thinking Meets Literacy: Hands-on Pathways to Empower Learners

Outline

What is computational thinking? (10 minutes)
• Share out as a whole group

Picture books and computational thinking (10 minutes)
• Explore the Literacy Essentials, focusing on read-alouds
• Investigate the way computational thinking merges with literary and peritextual elements in picture books

Create, code, and animate a zoo animal (20 minutes)
• Use maker materials and micro:bit to create, code, and animate the zoo animal

Record and upload animal to BookCreator (5 minutes)
• Use BookCreator’s embedded video to record animal

Write accompanying text in Chris Van Dusen’s style (5 minutes)
• Use BookCreator

Read collaborative book (5 minutes)

Share additional resources (5 minutes)

Outcomes

Participants will leave with practical strategies to seamlessly apply computational thinking concepts that enhance students' problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking skills, making both literacy and STEM subjects more engaging and relevant.

Supporting research

ISTE Computational Thinking Competencies
https://iste.org/standards/computational-thinking-competencies

ISTE Computational Thinking Meets Student Learning
https://my.iste-ascd.org/s/store#/store/browse/detail/a1w1U000004LpaeQAC

Computational Thinking Integration Project: Michigan (CTIP Michigan)
https://www.tomorrow.org/projects/computational-thinking-projects/michigan-project/

Literacy Essentials
https://literacyessentials.org/

Using Stories to Support Computational Thinking
https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-stories-support-computational-thinking/

Digital Promise Computational Thinking
https://digitalpromise.org/initiative/computational-thinking/

Powerful Learning with Computational Thinking: Our Why, What, and How of Computational Thinking
https://digitalpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/PowerfulLearningWithComputationalThinkingMAR2021.pdf

Computational Thinking: Building Executive Function Skills for Success
https://csteachers.org/computational-thinking-building-executive-function-skills-for-success/

Advances in Research in STEM Education
https://www.intechopen.com/books/11279

K-12 Computer Science
https://k12cs.org/computational-thinking