Exploring Computational Thinking
Web Resources
Below is a list of web resources related to CT, organized by subject. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but is instead a short list of innovative resources that educators might find useful. For additional information or resources, visit our ECT Discussion Forums or search on your specific area of interest.
Computational Thinking
- Computational and Procedural Thinking: background and history on CT, provided by IAE-pedia, a project through The Science Factory
- What is Computational Thinking: provided by CS4FN (Computer Science for Fun)
- Highlighted Resources on Computational Thinking: provided by the CSTA
- Report of a Workshop on The Scope and Nature of Computational Thinking: provided by the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences National Research Council, 2010
- Beyond Computational Thinking: article by Peter J. Denning, published in Communications of the ACM, 2009
- Computational Thinking and Thinking about Computing: YouTube video provided by IHMC, presented by Jeannette M. Wing, October 2009
- Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum: A Conceptual Framework: paper by DePaul University, May 2009
- Computational Thinking: A Problem-Solving Tool for Every Classroom: document by Pat Phillips, 2008
- Computational Thinking and Thinking about Computing: article by Jeannette M. Wing, provided by Philosophical Transactions, Series A, July 2008
- Computational Thinking: article by Jeannette M. Wing, published in Communications of the ACM, March 2006
- Computational Thinking For All: Teacher Resources from ISTE.
Computer Science
- Alice: educational software that teaches computer programming in a 3D environment
- Python: The programming language used throughout the Computational Thinking lessons. Visual Python is useful for modeling as is Physutil for Physics classrooms.
- CS Unplugged: free resources and learning activities that teach the principles of Computer Science
- Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum: lessons that explain how computers work without the use of a computer, with concepts from math and science
- Exploring Computer Science: curriculum that uses computational thinking and inquiry-based learning to teach introductory Computer Science, designed specifically for high school classrooms
- GameKit: free, friendly environment for allowing students who have never programmed before to experiment with programming
- SAM Animation: user-friendly software that allows students and teachers to make stop-motion animations of whatever content they choose
- Scalable Game Design: tutorials designed to explore the notion of scalable game design as an approach to balancing education and motivation of IT fluency
- Scratch: programming language that makes it easy for students to create interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art
Mathematics
- An Exploration in the Space of Mathematics Educations: article by Seymour Papert, published in International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning, 1996
- Concord Consortium: free lessons and software for analyzing and manipulating data, providing an alternative approach to learning mathematical concepts
- Mathematics for the Digital Age and Programming in Python: a text book that offers a blend of mathematics and programming with a focus on mathematics that is relevant to computing
- Mathalicious: meaningful and relevant math content with examples of how math is used to solve intriguing questions from a variety of subjects
- Project Euler: Mathematical Challenges that require Computational Thinking/programming to solve them.
Science
- Concord Consortium: free lessons and software for analyzing and manipulating data, providing an alternative approach to learning science concepts
- PhET Interactive Simulations: fun, interactive research-based science simulations of physical phenomena that encourage quantitative exploration
- Project GUTS (Growing up Thinking Scientifically): a summer and after-school science, technology, engineering and math program based in New Mexico that uses scientific inquiry to solve problems
- Virtual Courseware Project: exploratory activities in earth and life sciences that encourage inquiry-based learning, especially designed for HS classrooms
Social Science
- Interactive Journalism Institute for Middle Schoolers: research project at The College of New Jersey that introduces students to CT via the creation of online magazines