Computers are everywhere. But how many of us understand how they work, or how they think? How can people make them operate faster and better? Computer science explores these questions. Every student can benefit from an introduction to the science that is possibly most central to their lives -- computer science.
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Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum introduces fundamental building blocks of computer science -- without using computers. This selection of activities is designed for use with students ages 9 to 14. Use Computer Science-in-a-Box: Unplug Your Curriculum to teach lessons that explain how computers work, and at the same time, address critical mathematics and science concepts from number systems and algorithms to manipulating variables and logic. Presenting these activities to your students will allow them to:
- Gain fluency with decimal (base10) and binary (base 2) numerical systems
- Understand how zeros and ones can be used to represent information such as digital images and numbers
- Understand fundamental ideas of logic and apply logic to solve problems, such as sorting information into useful order quickly
- Develop an understanding of algorithms that goes beyond basic operations of arithmetic
- Understand that these concepts are harnessed by computer scientists to solve problems and innovate
You don't have to be a computer expert to enjoy learning these principles with your students. Answers to all problems are provided, and each activity ends with a "what's it all about?" section that explains the relevance of the activities. To help you get ready, the authors have created videos of each activity in action. Use the links below to view or download the videos:
- Count the Dots -- Binary Numbers (Watch it now. | Download the video)
- Color by Numbers -- Image Representation (coming soon)
- Card Flip Magic -- Error Detection and Correction (Watch it now. | Download the video.)
- Lightest and Heaviest -- Sorting Algorithm (coming soon)
- Beat the Clock -- Sorting Networks (Watch it now. | Download the video.)
- The Orange Game -- Routing and Deadlock in Networks (coming soon)
- Treasure Hunt -- Finite-state Automata (coming soon)
Computer Science Unplugged, the curriculum from which these materials are excerpted, was created by Tim Bell, Ian H. Witten, and Mike Fellows, and was illustrated by Matt Powell. This material is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license, which means you are free to copy, distribute, and display the book provided you make no changes to the content (including the attribution to the authors and these license terms); you may not use the book for commercial purposes, and you may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
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