Computational thinking (CT) is not just a passing fad. Much like engineers rely on the engineering process to problem solve, or scientist use the scientific method to question, test and answer their questions, CT is the process used by computer scientist around the globe to solve problems with code.
What's new (relatively speaking) is that schools are beginning to realize that CT is a form or problem solving that can be used in many ways, across just about all subjects. And while not everyone needs - or wants - to become a programmer, understanding how to solve problems algorithmically is a skill all of us will need in our increasingly tech-infused life.
In a nutshell, computational thinking enables students to break problems into parts (decomposition), recognize and interpret patterns, weed out the minutiae to see the bigger picture and make connections (abstraction) and then create systematic instructions (algorithms) that can be automated (using code).
It was only fairly recently that ISTE and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) created an operational definition of computational thinking for schools:
Even though President Obama's Computer Science for All initiative was never funded, many of the top technology companies (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc.) as well as non-profits (Code.org, Khan Academy, etc.) have been actively supporting efforts to bring computer science to schools. Indeed, in all my years of teaching and tech-integration, I have never seen so many support materials, resources and avenues for student learning-- provided to students (See resources below).
As tech-savvy teachers, we do not necessarily need to be programming geniuses. But, we should be able to find ways to integrate coding into our curriculum, even if it it means giving our students just one hour to participate in the Hour of Code, or finding pockets in our curriculum where coding might present the perfect opportunity to offer students a new avenue to show what they know.
Read these two short, but informative articles about CT to gain a deeper understanding of the process and how you can employ the strategies in your own classroom:
Computational Thinking for All: Pedagogical Approaches to Embedding 21st Century Problem-Solving (Yadav, Hong & Stephenson, 2016)
Computational Thinking: A Digital Age Skill for All (Barr, Harrison, Conery, 2011)
When you have completed these readings, move onto Mod 8.2 Coding