Understand calculator application on an ipad with kids role playing various components, such as operating system, processor, button controls
In the drawing above each rectangle corresponds to a child.
Requirement
White board, 20 blank sheets of paper, marker.
Big carpet to represent ipad touch screen
Ipad with a calculator application
If a teacher has time to prep kids, talk about calculator program - what buttons it has, how to use it and how to represent multi digit numbers.
Notes
I led this workshop for the first graders. The biggest challenge is the number of kids, as there are only 18 participants. Below are some of the ideas to accommodate more people. Also the roles were not equally significant and some kids got bored with being buttons on a calculator.
Presentation
Part 1. Introduction
Everybody knows what a computer is like. It has a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse. But there are other types of computers.
Ask kids about different types. (Notebook, iPad, phone)
As you can see, the computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they are also getting smarter and smarter. My father used to fix computers and I remember visiting him and the computer was the size of the room. Then when a computer broke my father needed to crawl inside it, to replace a transistor.
Now, any phone we have is 1000 times more powerful than the computers back then.
Today we are going to talk about a tablet, or an iPad. We are going to BE the iPad.
Part 2. Main components
iPad has several components.
1. a touch screen. We are going to use the carpet where the kids are sitting
2. an operating system. We don't see operating system, it doesn't like to show off. At the same time it controls all applications on iPad. Whenever you want to play a game and press an game icon, it kicks out other applications and let the application you choose to take control and show on the screen.
3. an application. This is what's being shown on a screen when you click an icon. There are different applications - games, browsers, players and calculators.
4. an application uses Buttons to interact with the user.
Part 3. Calculator
Show kids calculator application and talk about the buttons
Talk about the concept of a calculator – draw 10 big digits and +,-, = on a paper or use a white board and stick the cut out digits with scotch. This later will be a monitor. Give kids paper and ask them to record your actions and write down the answer. Then push the numbers on the calculator, e.g.
5, +, 3, =
Then the kids need to complete the equation. I skipped this part with the big group. For the small group the most interesting part is when the numbers are in double digits. It shows kids that consequitive digits define the same number. The kids in this age are used to thinking of a number as something whole, which doesn't have parts. For more advanced students, you may want to keep pressing digits and have them right down the huge number, then explain to them what this number is. Tell them that the computer can add even these huge numbers.
Note, "=" is not trivial for kids of this age. It is a sign of equality, not a request to calculate a result.
Also, multi digit numbers are confusing. Kids may need practice with that.
Part 4. Putting it all together
Create a label for each participant:
Calculator Icon
Operating system
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,+,-,=
Application
Processor
Result box
Rehearse the following scenario with kids (the words in italic refer to a child playing that role)
1. A touch screen (rug) is empty. There is only Calculator icon on it.
2. A User touches the Calculator Icon
3. Calculator Icon yells to the Operating System "Calculator Icon pressed!"
4. Operating system commands "Start the calculator!" and moves Calculator Icon from the touch screen
5. Calculator buttons (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,+,-,=) run, sit down, keeping their labels above their heads.
6. Whisper to the User your request (5+7)
7. User walks on a touch screen trying to touch the corresponding buttons (5,+,7,=)
8. As soon as any button is touched it yells what it is 'FIVE', 'PLUS'
9. Application listens which buttons are pressed and writes it all down.
10. As soon as '=' is pressed Application runs to a Processor and shows the processor the equation
11. Processor calculates the result and tells Application
12. Application tells result to Result box which writes it down and shows to the User on a touch screen.
Notes
1. To make it harder, try multi digit numbers / negative numbers (5-7).
2. Have Application not see what buttons are pressed, only hear what they say.
3. If need to engage more people, have dual processors (two Processor characters) and have them calculate the result separately and then compare. Have two Application characters, each recording and talking to each own processor.
This is now what reality is, but it's a good way to engage kids.
To make it more game like, have a timer count till thirty and try to calculate a result in 30 seconds.
Part 5: Alarm clock (if you have a lot of people or more time)
To try to run more than one application have the Alarm application run on a background. When alarm sounds, it interrupts the calculator until user stops the alarm.
Alarm clock application.
Alarm clock Icon
Alarm clock Application
Timer
Buzzer
Snooze and Wakeup buttons
Timer starts counting till 30. Once done, Timer notifies Alarm application. (In real world user would set the timer)
Alarm Application tells operating system that it's time for an alarm.
Operating system yells to calculator application "Freeze!" or "Leave the screen!". Then it yells "Start Alarm Application"
Alarm Application tells Buzzer to make alarm sounds.
Alarm Application tells Snooze and wakeup buttons to show on touch screen.
The buzzer makes sounds until user clicks on any of the buttons.
After that Operating system yells "Stop Alarm Application" and "Restart Calculator Application"
All characters in calculator application unfreeze and continue what they started.