Art & Algorithms

This lesson plan is adapted from Hello Ruby

What do art and algorithms have in common? How fast is a computer? And what are humans good at?

The lesson plan (attached, download below) will take you through the detail of how to run this activity with your class. This lesson here goes beyond that to give you some more resources to support that learning.

An easy way to explain algorithms

Algorithmic thinking is a core part of the Computational Thinking strand of the Digital Technologies Curriculum. However, making sure your students understand the concept of algorithmic thinking, or simply, just what is an algorithm, should be your first step.

This is a great short lesson from BBC's Bitesize that you can take your kids through. I've given a Youtube link for the video above the video here so that you can show it to your students if you want to - We can't watch the video here in Aotearoa, so I made a copy for you!

What is an algorithm?

You use code to tell a computer what to do. Before you write code you need an algorithm.

An algorithm is a list of rules to follow in order to solve a problem.

Algorithms need to have their steps in the right order. Think about an algorithm for getting dressed in the morning. What if you put on your coat before your jumper? Your jumper would be on top of your coat and that would be silly! When you write an algorithm the order of the instructions is very important.

https://youtu.be/lStGGRuPbgU

How do we use algorithms in our everyday lives?

I need to make a cake

The algorithm here is a cake recipe. You can find the algorithm to solve this problem in a cookbook!

I can't find the park

The algorithm you need is a set of directions to get to the park. There might be different ways to the park so you can have different algorithms.

I need to build a toy

The algorithm to follow here is the list of instructions that tell you how to make the toy.

Digital Technologies context

The examples above are examples of a non-computational real-life context for algorithmic thinking. However, when you are wanting to bring it back to digital technologies, we talk about how all code is based on algorithms - and how 'code' is how you tell a computer what to do. Like a language for computers to understand that is different from human languages.

The Lesson

MATERIALS NEEDED

Long piece of paper - preferably one that covers the length of your classroom, or a table
Some way to make art - crayons, paint, colouring pencils, markers etc - we suggest a more bold choice, i.e. markers instead of colouring pencils

LESSON SEQUENCE

Start by talking with kids about what algorithms are. Explain to them they are now the computer. Each one will get their own algorithm.
Examples of algorithms: Draw a dot. Draw a circle around a dot. Draw a line connecting all the red objects. Draw the first letter of your name. Draw squares in two different colors. Draw triangles inside each square. You can also use the template below.
Ask kids to choose an instrument and spread them evenly around the paper.
When you say RUN, the computer turns on and each kid starts drawing. When you say END each kid stops and moves one stop to their right.
Run the "computer" fast and slow. How does art change? Having music play in the background might also help.

EXTRA FOR EXPERTS

Let the kids come up with their own algorithms. If they can read/write, you can play with the instructions being written, but the execution still being visual. The algorithm should be explicitly spelt out (similar to our template above).
Have several ‘computers’ running at once twice. The first time through run it so that all the other kids not working at the moment can see what the others are doing, then run it through again where they cannot see each others work. I.e. second or third lot of kids cannot see what the first lot are doing or have done. Note the difference between the output.

POINTS FOR DISCUSSION

How long would it take for a computer to generate digitally similar piece on an art work given the exact same instructions? Not very long - it could probably do it in nanoseconds. A computer is very good at following instructions and very fast. It would always win humans.
What do humans bring? Creativity. Emotion. Interpretation.
Ask the kids how the artwork makes them feel? Acknowledge the feelings. Explain that a computer can never experience real feelings - it can be programmed to respond to feelings or to analyze artwork from a database, but it will never experience art the same way humans.

Downloads

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