This document discusses integrating practitioner expertise into computational thinking education. It defines computational thinking as recognizing computation in the world and applying computing tools to understand natural, social, and artificial systems. The document then discusses a small-scale experimental setting in Waidhofen an der Thaya, Austria to test lessons learned. It outlines the research design, ideas, outcomes, conclusions and future work to improve computational thinking education through external partnerships.

1. Practitioner Integration in
Computational Thinking
Education.

2. Big Picture

3. How can outside expertise best be integrated into
formal Computational Thinking education?
What lessons can be improved upon
by a small scale experimental setting?

4. What is Computational Thinking?

7. “CT is the process of recognizing aspects of
computation in the world that surrounds us and
applying tools and techniques from computing
to understand and reason about natural, social,
and artificial systems and processes. It allows
pupils to tackle problems, to break them down
into solvable chunks, and to devise algorithms
to solve them.”
- Csizmadia et al.

8. understand which aspects of a problem can be solved with a tool,
evaluate if a specific tool can solve a problem,
understand the limitations of computational tools,
adapt a computational tool to a new use,
recognize new ways to use tools, and
apply computational strategies in any domain.

9. Waidhofen an der Thaya

11. Research Design

13. Idea and Framework

16. Outcomes and lessons learned

19. Conclusions and Future Work

21. Balance between freedom and structure
is the key to creative learning.
- Mitchel Resnick

23. Sources
Map of Europe from Wikimedia:Maix
Logo of HAK Waidhofen from Facebook
Google Trends analysis
Research papers published by country as
generated on Web of Science
The Missing Link to Computational Thinking
(german) Praktikerinnen und Praktiker im
Computational Thinking Unterricht.
Blue Marble Picture from NASA
Fake TED talk
Margaret Hamilton’s Foto from NASA
CT - A guide for teachers

24. This talk was given during the EdMedia +
Innovate Learning conference 2020.