Children’s Engineering and Computational Thinking
Abstract: Both Engineering and Computational Thinking are recognized as keys to economic success in our global knowledge society. How soon should these be introduced in schools? The Fab@School initiative provides elementary students with hands-on engineering experiences at the elementary level. Computer scientists believe that “computational thinking” should be introduced to students at young ages and cultivated in the K-12 system. What are the impacts of these two “workforce” skill sets on K-12? What do they look like in action in the classroom? This session presents these issues and provides examples drawn from NSF’s ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) program and from recent Engineering projects such as the Fab@School initiative. The intersection of “engineering” thinking and “computational” thinking will be discussed.