Every year, I dreaded the physical computing unit using Arduinos in my Computer Science I class. I felt so frustrated by connection errors that I don’t think it was fun for anyone! A few years ago, I took a huge step back and devoted the first few lessons entirely to circuit basics using paper circuits and simulators.
Design challenges are great any time of year. A well-designed challenge encourages creative thinking, cooperative learning, and the chance to see ideas come to life!
5-6, 7-8, 9-12, Advanced Topics, AP Computer Science A, AP Computer Science Principles, Computer Science I, Robotics, Uncategorized
With the added pressure of Back to School Night in person (we hosted virtually last year in a modified format), I decided to stick with what I’m most comfortable with and just teach. In each class, I picked out a quick unplugged activity or discussion to give a truer sense of what a period in my classroom is like. Here are some ideas.
Titled “Unplug the Internet,” my nifty assignment is an unplugged simulation of how the internet works. Because students are taking on the role of different parts of the internet (DNS, router, client/server, TCP, etc) they are able to build a connection with that vocabulary. This year, I had my AP CSP students facilitate the simulation to my CS1 class as a review for their AP test. They gave lots of positive feedback and for the rest of the year referred back to the person playing the role in class discussions. Find out all the information about my nifty assignment here!
One concept that does need to be explicitly taught is broadcast and receive blocks. I’ve had difficulty getting students to buy into the use of broadcast and receive blocks over “wait” blocks. My hunch is that they’re difficult to understand because of the lack of a visual reaction on the Scratch stage. Unplugged activities to the rescue!