Microsoft: STEM 1 Training: Computational Thinking and its importance in education

Goals of today!

My time as an intern is almost over and I'm trying to receive all the training I can to prepare me to be a more informed IT in my future position.

I love taking these courses and working towards certifications. This has made me consider obtaining a certification in Microsoft services in the future. First I need to graduate with my Master's degree and secure a position.

Stafford MSD prides itself in its technological advancements. Dr. Bostic is such a great example of a Superintendent who sees the big picture for students in 21st Century learning. He impressed me from the first day he talked to us at convocation one year and he continues to impress me with his drive towards technology.

With my recent paper on Technology in the science classrooms, I decided to take some professional development in the STEM area of Microsoft.

The first training module is titled: Computational Thinking and its importance in education. The goals of this training are: 

• What Computational Thinking is and what it isn't
• The components of Computational Thinking
• How computational thinking is applied in various educational settings.          

The training has both text to read and a video of a teacher in a lower grade level who is teaching the students computational thinking. This type of thinking can be used at any grade level and across all the content subjects.

Decomposition is where a person takes something and breaks it down into smaller parts. This breaking down reminds me of chunking in the classroom. Students need to learn to break down problems into smaller pieces when they are faced with a complicated or complex task.

Pattern recognition is taught from very early grade levels but is essential to problem-solving. Then there is abstraction and algorithmic thinking. Abstraction is defined by Microsoft as "the ability to generalize a pattern and prioritize what is pertinent and what is not in relation to the problem". This important skill is used every time someone tries to fix something. Recently my computer began to have issues. It wouldn't stay on and the fan began to make a roaring sound. I knew it wasn't Windows that was the problem. By finding the pattern of failure I was able to trace down to three possible issues.

Algorithmic thinking does not mean that it includes mathematics. This type of thinking simply means that one creates a guide or steps to an issue or problem.

Overall this training was very informative and I'm eager to push on to more training.