In this episode I unpack Bell’s (2021) publication titled “CS unplugged or coding classes? Perhaps a more appropriate question is ‘why not both’?,” which argues there’s value in doing both unplugged and coding lessons.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:12 My single sentence summary

01:21 What are unplugged lessons?

01:59 Arguments for and against unplugged lessons

04:57 Should unplugged replace programming?

06:55 Goals of introducing CS to young learners

07:45 Why does unplugged work for some and not others?

10:13 Lingering questions and thoughts

10:20 How do you use unplugged in your classes? When do/n’t you use unplugged in your classes?

14:42 When might you use unplugged without situating it within application of understanding on a device?

15:22 When might you use coding on it’s own?

15:56 How do you engage in either approach in a way that contextualizes or situates the learning?

16:54 Outro