tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4941612014165723839.post8395386100125934292..comments2014-11-06T11:05:36.172-08:00Comments on Science Literacies 2014: Computational ThinkingAmandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04288157704159727422noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4941612014165723839.post-91107207626500549282014-10-29T09:36:46.174-07:002014-10-29T09:36:46.174-07:00While it may not be comfortable for those of us wh...While it may not be comfortable for those of us who studied biology in the more typical 'breadth over depth', it is impossible to ignore that computer programming is essential to actual biological research (and chemical and physical Im sure). If we are truly trying to have our students participate in the actual processes of science, then computer programming must be included, regardless of how much class time it may take. In my own research in ecology, I had to learn to code in both R and Matlab with no formal training or scaffolding. If I had had even the very basic groundwork of programming explained to me in high school (or even college), it would have been substantially easier to approach these new skills and would have allowed me to do much more sophisticated models than I was able to starting from the bottom. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17315936034048290240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4941612014165723839.post-54924746378235060242014-10-29T07:41:21.882-07:002014-10-29T07:41:21.882-07:00Joey, I though you brought up a food point concern...Joey, I though you brought up a food point concerning the time commitment to computer programming. While it is not a field of study I am interested in or a career I would take part in, understanding technology is important because it is such a big part of our world. Thus, I believe that the computer programming class should be taught in the context of other subjects and how it applies to them. Thus, this class is not completely separate and students can learn and understand the diverse fields within computer programming and how important it is for the advancement of all disciplinary fields. <br />Absolutely, more research needs to be done before implementation, but mainly in the context of successful implementation. While new evidence is gained, the best evidence and the best way to gage the direction that implementation needs to go is gathered through actual implementation of potential CT classes within schools. However, while I do say this, after reading Grover and Pea, I agree that a little more research and evidence needs to be gathered before we have reached the stage of potential implementation. This is so because Grover and Pea stated that the current stages researchers are at is the transition between defining CT and actually coming up with plausible applications into the classrooms. Thus, they are not ready to implement a potentially successful CT class without detailed content objectives and assessments.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02943823651532283724noreply@blogger.com