Lesson 5 - Conclusions

You're done! For the moment...

I hope you've enjoyed this brief introduction to the concepts of Computational Thinking.

You already know that technology has had a profound effect on the world we live in, the way we work, the way we play, the way we communicate... There is no aspect of our lives that is not touched by technology.

What a driverless car sees:

Knowing a bit more about how computers work and how computers "think" is going to be something you should know about, and will want to know about.

Some headlines:

The common theme is technology.

Coding and Computer Science

You may have heard a lot in the news about "coding" recently: "Obama: The First President Who Codes," the "Hour of Code," etc. Contrary to common belief, coding is not the same thing as computer science.

Computer Science vs. Coding - What's the difference?

Computer Science is determined with identifying whether or not we can compute something, and if so, what's the best way to compute it? Computer Science applies Computational Thinking to identify useful algorithms.

Computer Programming, or "coding," involves writing programs for a computer that will execute those algorithms.

Computer Science is a more abstract subject, and some consider it a field of mathematics. Computer Programming is a more practical subject, producing actual working code that implements the ideas of computer science.

Most high school Computer Science courses include a mix of both computer science and coding. At Polytechnic School, we have three different courses that you can take:

For further information about these courses, see this document.

And watch these videos!

Computer Science @ Poly

Computer Science is Changing Everything

she++: Good Girl Gone Geek