iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

The Finns are pretty bemused by Americans’ preoccupation with whether to put iPads in every classroom. If a tablet would enhance learning, great. If it wouldn’t, skip it. Move on. The whole thing is a little tilting-at-windmills, anyway.

That was the gist of the conversation one recent morning at the Finnish Embassy in Washington, D.C., where diplomats and experts gathered to celebrate the country’s education accomplishments as Finland turns 100. And Americans could stand to take notes. (Yes, from Finland—again.)

Coding and programming are now part of the curriculum in the Scandinavian country, and they’re subjects kids tackle from a young age. But unlike in some parts of the United States where learning to code is an isolated skill, Finnish children are taught to think of coding and programming more as tools to be explored and utilized across multiple subjects.

That mindset aims to accomplish a couple of things: to make coding and programming accessible to kids with a variety of interests, and to show students why understanding how technology works is relevant to their lives by linking its use to a multitude of activities.

"CS Unplugged is a collection of free teaching material that teaches Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around."

Computer science isn’t just about writing programs. Students need to learn concepts such as computational thinking, algorithms and efficiency.

Here we have provided a short unplugged activity where students will use features and yes/no questions to build a decision tree. Students are encouraged to focus on efficiency and build a tree with the shortest number of steps. The activity is based on classifying the planets, so is suitable for a computer science or a science class.

There are a couple of extension options at the end for students who move through this more quickly or for those that need a challenge.

This activity is best done in groups, so students can discuss which questions and what order make for the most efficient process. Working in a group encourages them to articulate their thoughts and listen to others’ views, rather than just using trial and error.

Students will write an algorithm for classifying different planets. We are going to start small, with just 4 planets.

Instructions