What Everyone Needs to Know About Computation Steve Cooper

How to Think Computationally Jeannette Wing’s CACM article, 3/2006

Jeannette’s Grand Vision Computational Thinking will be a fundamental skill used by everyone in the world by the middle of the 21 st Century. –Just like reading, writing, and arithmetic. –Incestuous: Computing and computers will enable the spread of computational thinking. –In research: scientists, engineers, …, historians, artists –In education: K-12 students and teachers, undergrads, …

Jeannette M. Wing Automation Abstractions Computing is the Automation of Abstractions Computational Thinking is the process of abstraction - choosing the right abstractions - operating in terms of multiple layers of abstraction simultaneously - defining the relationships the between layers 1. Machine 2. Human 3. Human + Machine 4. Networks of 1, 2, or 3 guided by the following concerns…

Jeannette M. Wing Measures of a “Good” Abstraction in C.T. Efficiency –How fast? –How much space? –How much power? Correctness –Does it do the right thing? Does the program compute the right answer? –Does it do anything? Does the program eventually produce an answer? [Halting Problem] -ilities –Simplicity and elegance –Usability –Modifiability –Maintainability –Cost –… as in Engineering NEW

What does CT mean for everyone? - 1 Identifying meaningful contexts for students –Media Alice Media Computation Scratch –Robots –Web Programming/Services –Graphics

A pitch for contexts Birds of a Feather –Teaching your computer science course in context –Leader: Steves (Cunningham and Cooper) –102C –5:15 – 6:00 PM tonight

What does CT mean for everyone? - 2 And, identifying and sharing appropriate abstractions to help students to develop the ability to abstract

Challenges - 1 Convincing CS faculty/departments of the importance of teaching CS courses for non- majors Creating several such courses for students with different needs/interests Convincing other departments as to the importance of CT, and helping them to incorporate CT into others of their courses

Challenges - 2 We have lots of courses that have shown to be successful individually, but how do we scale them? “Letting one hundred flowers blossom…” Chairman Mao