What is Raspberry Pi Pico? Developed by Raspberry Pi, Pico is a microcontroller board built on RP2040, a 32-bit dual ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller chip. What is a microcontroller? A self-contained computer, a microcontroller is a single, integrated circuit that can be programmed to perform a certain task. It’s a small processing unit with a bit […]
Author: readthinkcode
Robotics – The fourth phase of early childhood computer science education
The four stages consist of: unplugged computer science; block-based programming languages; game development; introduction to robotics; As STEM education has become more popular, so has the use of robots. They teach young children about engineering, coding, and programming. In addition to STEM literacy, studies reveal that robotics can encourage other skills like hands-on creativity, problem […]
Game development – The third phase of early childhood computer science education
The four stages consist of: unplugged computer science; block-based programming languages; game development; introduction to robotics; Game development for children strengthens their art, math, and coding skills, and offers them a creative outlet to show what they know. There is a wealth of new categories of online computer games and puzzles that are currently available. […]
Block-based programming languages – The second phase of early childhood computer science education
The four stages consist of: unplugged computer science; block-based programming languages; game development; introduction to robotics; Block-based coding is a form of programming language that utilizes a drag-and-drop learning environment. Programmers use coding instruction “blocks” to construct animated stories and games. As an entry-level activity, young children acquire a foundation in computational thinking via images as […]
Unplugged – The first phase of early childhood computer science education
Not sure where to begin with your child’s first crack at coding? Current studies show that the education of children in the computer sciences lies in four distinct and progressive phases. These four stages consist of: unplugged computer science; block-based programming languages; game development; introduction to robotics; Upon close inspection of each of these categories, […]
What is computational thinking?
It’s important for parents, educators, and students to recognize that computational thinking can be applied across multiple disciplines, including but not limited to technology and computer science. Computational thinking is the common denominator of critical thinking, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning, and project-based learning. In addition, computational thinking increases confidence in dealing with ambiguous, complex or […]