Calculation is a very complex topic. You want to say how the computer works (for example, inside) or how to use computer applications (word processing / spreadsheet / Internet) or how to program them? I think all three will be good topics for 10-15 year olds.
My dad, a computer engineer, taught me many of the above at my age at this age (of course, it depends on how motivated your students are). This was mainly through experiments and assignments. I will indicate some good resources that I experienced when I was at this age. Although these books are not public domain, they are not that expensive (you can purchase all the books that I mentioned below for less than $ 100 at the time of the answer, cheaper than one college textbook, films that you could try find at your local library). Please note that some of them belong to the era of MS-DOS 3.x 10-12 years ago, but, frankly, the basic concepts have not changed so much. The IBM PC platform still has the same architecture, it has just been updated. However, the applications have changed.
How does a computer work?
- You might want to learn about all the different parts of a modern computer tower by discovering and explaining to them what each part is and what it does and how they connect to each other. It doesn’t even need to work, you just need to show them. A good, simple book that explains parts of a computer is Ron White's “How Computers Work”. I believe that there is also an episode of “Magic School Bus” (“Magic School Bus gets programmed,” episode 50 of season 4).
- After that, you can explain the startup process and how the computer first turns on and knows nothing. You can then explain how the BIOS chip finds all the different things connected to the motherboard, and then uses the hard drive to start the operating system (Windows / OS X).
- There are several interactive programs that describe how this all works, although I can't think of anything from my head. There was an old training program called “What's in this box” that I used, but it is so outdated that it is now useless.
- If you have truly motivated students, you can submit them to electronic computer foundations, as well as binary numbers and gates. A good (teacher) acquaintance with these things is Charles Petzold Cod . You are trying to explain how computers talk about things using 1s and 0s. In addition, there is an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy (Season 4, Episode 78).
How to use applications
Honestly, I'm really not sure what to tell you here, but I think you can find many tutorials on this subject if you are google. Explanation of Word, Excel, etc. It’s useful for students, and I guess this is widespread. NB: Teach students how to touch this age. I did not learn to touch until I was in the middle of HS, and it was difficult. By that time, I had already learned how to do things on computers and play keyboard games, and my fingers were remembered to go to all the wrong places. If you catch them at an early stage, they will succeed.
How to program
- How I learned to program for age 10 was thus using the BASIC language (BTW, which link gives many other ideas for learning how to program in young age). I am sure others will have good answers to this too. The book I used after that was QBasic, following the example that the owner of a computer bookstore gave me when I was 12 years old from his cast — a tall pile. It was my biblical version, and I read it in the cover.
- Note that some students will want to do cool things when they learn to program; admittedly, then, as I found out, will not be classified as classy. My old computer science from Undergrad participates in a program with children from the city that teaches them how to program robots using the LOGO , Sun SunSPOTS and LEGO Mindstorms NXT languages (depending on the focus of the class). You basically give commands to the robot, and it does it, and you can watch the robot do what you told it to. Very cool and interactive. This can make them think about programming and how to tell the computer / robot what to do and how you can be a “robot commander” or a “computer commander.” This, in essence, is what programmers do every day.
- New Kids Show Cyberchase teaches critical thinking skills, which are the foundation of programming skills.
Just think to get you started. I think many children will appreciate the practical approach; most of those in this industry began because of the practical impact, rather than the study of books. The previous early education, along with some books, worked for me, mainly from the material that I raked from my memory.
Also check out Woz.org; Steve Wozniak (programmer / hardware engineer, Apple designer] [] now teaches students computers.
J. polfer
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