... hab' ich mitzuteilen - L's blog

Vorsicht: Python 3k ist inkompatibel mit den 2.x Versionen

library for constructing (parsing and building) of binary and textual data structures

Wir machen uns mit der bdU-Vorbereitung in der unterrichtsfreien Zeit (Sommerferien) Gedanken zum Einstieg in die Informatik.

Every year this question is asked on the AP List Serv: What do I do on the first day?

I noticed that the question didn't come up this year, and I know that there are new teachers out there looking for first day activities to do with their classes.

As educators we want to engage our students right off the bat and show them that computer science is fun and interesting. When I talk to students about computer science and programming, I purposely avoid the current debate about how it is defined. Instead, I like to explain to my students that computer science is about being specific and solving problems in a linear and clearly defined fashion.

I also like to help them to understand that you cannot take anything for granted when giving instructions to the computer.

One of my favorite first day activities is the paper airplane building exercise. I pair the students in groups of two and give each person a sheet of paper. The rules are that only one student is allowed to talk, and the other needs to follow the directions they are given EXACTLY. I then sit the students back to back so that they cannot see each other. The student who is allowed to talk creates a paper airplane and talks through the process, while the student who is not allowed to talk follows along. It is fun to see if they come out with the same airplane at the end of the session.

After the paper airplanes are built, I engage students in a discussion about the process, asking them questions such as: 'Does the order in which you gave the directions matter?', 'What was the most difficult thing about not being able to talk?' and 'Would it have been helpful to get feedback during the process about how you were progressing so far?' (Hint - this is a subtle reminder about writing programs in pieces and compiling as you go along rather than trying to do it all at once.) I then refer back to this activity throughout the year as a common experience in which I can frame other parts of the code - compile - run - refactor process.

What's your favorite first day activity? How do you hook your students in? How do you introduce the class? Leave a comment, a sentence, a link, or just a short experience here!

Leigh Ann Sudol
CSTA Communications Chair

Ein Leben ohne Micro$ ;-)
Weiter so.

Jörg macht uns mal wieder auf Smalltalk in der Form Squeak aufmerksam. Danke. Wenn schon OO, dann mit der OO-Sprache?
Ich bin damit nicht unbedingt einverstanden, ... da die Klassenbibliothek durchaus nicht einfach ist.

Denn -- wo Informatische Bildung fehlt -- sind Fehlentscheidungen an der Tagesordnung.

Die Bundesregierung hat kürzlich zugeben müssen, dass auf zahlreichen ihrer Regierungscomputer monatelang Spionageprogramme installiert waren, die sensible Informationen ins vermutlich chinesische Ausland weiterleiteten und Datenbestände unbemerkt veränderten. Der Chaos Computer Club bedauert den dadurch entstandenen politischen Schaden, kann aber nicht umhin, auf den offenbar gewordenen eklatanten Mangel an technischem Sachverstand hinzuweisen. Der CCC fordert die Bundesregierung angesichts dieser Online-Durchsuchung Made in China auf, ihre Position zum heimlichen Ausspionieren der Bürger mit dem sog. Bundestrojaner zu überdenken.

Mein Lieblingsmuster ...

An unorthodox implementation of Observer programming pattern.