ICT oxford school Azuero

  Representing an algorithm: Flowcharts A flowchart is a diagram that represents a set of  instructions . Flowcharts normally use standard symbols to represent the different instructions. There are few real rules about the level of detail needed in a flowchart. Sometimes flowcharts are broken down into many steps to provide a lot of detail about exactly what is happening. Sometimes they are simplified so that a number of steps occur in just one step. Flowchart symbols A simple  program  could be created to ask someone their name and age, and to make a comment based on these. This program represented as a flowchart would look like this:

Algorithms An algorithm is a plan, a set of step-by-step instructions to resolve a problem. In an algorithm, each instruction is identified and the order in which they should be carried out is planned. What is an algorithm? Algorithms are one of the four cornerstones of Computer Science.  An algorithm is a plan, a set of step-by-step instructions to solve a problem.  If you can tie shoelaces, make a cup of tea, get dressed or prepare a meal then you already know how to follow an algorithm. In an algorithm, each  instruction  is identified and the order in which they should be carried out is planned. Algorithms are often used as a starting point for creating a computer program, and they are sometimes written as a  flowchart  or in  pseudocode . If we want to tell a computer to do something, we have to write a computer program that will tell the computer, step-by-step, exactly what we want it to do and how we want it to do it.  This step-by-step pro...

  Thinking computationally Thinking computationally is not  programming . It is not even thinking like a computer, as computers do not, and cannot, think. Simply put, programming tells a computer what to do and how to do it.  Computational thinking enables you to work out exactly what to tell the computer to do. For example, if you agree to meet your friends somewhere you have never been before, you would probably plan your route before you step out of your house. You might consider the routes available and which route is ‘best’ - this might be the route that is the shortest, the quickest, or the one which goes past your favourite shop on the way. You'd then follow the step-by-step directions to get there. In this case,  the planning part is like computational thinking,  and  following the directions is like programming. Being able to turn a complex problem into one we can easily understand is a skill that is extremely useful. In fact, it's a skill you alre...

Introduction to computational thinking Before computers can be used to solve a problem, the problem itself and the ways in which it could be resolved must be understood. Computational thinking techniques help with these tasks. What is computational thinking? Computers can be used to help us solve problems. However, before a problem can be tackled, the problem itself and the ways in which it could be solved need to be understood. Computational thinking allows us to do this. Computational thinking allows us to take a complex problem, understand what the problem is and develop possible solutions. We can then present these solutions in a way that a computer, a human, or both, can understand. The four cornerstones of computational thinking There are four key techniques (cornerstones) to computational thinking: decomposition  - breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts pattern recognition  – looking for similarities among and within problems abstr...