Coding and robo cs

CODING AND ROBOTICS

by Karen Walstra The Department of Basic Educa on has a Digital Skills curriculum, and within that there is a coding and robo cs curriculum. Exposing learners to coding, programming and robo c skills assists in preparing them for the 21st century and possible future careers. Computer science includes aspects of coding and robo cs.

Computer science is the study of almost everything connected to computers: the theory, hardware (physical components and their systems), algorithms for solving various kinds of problems, logical structure, certain rules that govern and manage compu ng systems and so on. Programming and coding are small but very important parts of the broader fi eld called computer science.

Coding is essen ally wri en instruc ons that a computer programme or a robot can read and then execute. There are many coding languages, such as Java, Python, and C++. At primary school learners may learn to code using symbols or block coding, such as MIT Scratch. The code is used to programme the computer, so the computers can be used to help us solve problems. Computa onal thinking allows us to do this. Programming gives a theore cal explana on of how computers actually work. It is about studying the processes which entail studying the procedures, set of instruc ons for accomplishing tasks and about what computers are and are not capable of doing.

Computa onal Thinking includes cogni ve (thinking) and metacogni ve (thinking about your thinking) skills. The origins or roots of computa onal thinking incorporate Problem Solving, Design Systems and Understanding Human Behaviours.

Whether you want to uncover the secrets of the universe, or you just want to pursue a career in the 21st century, basic computer programming is an essen al skill to learn. Stephen Hawking

Sources

● h ps://www.evolveschool.co.za/post/2019/01/30/lets-get-coding-in-the-intermediate-phase ● h ps://www.evolveschool.co.za/post/robo csmbot ● h ps://www.evolveschool.co.za/post/2019/01/28/introducing-very-li le-children-to-computa onalthinking-skills-and-coding

Formula ng a Problem (to fi nd and describe the problem)

Algorithm design (developing step-bystep instruc ons to solve a problem or complete a task)

Generalisa on (make a solu on for one problem usable for a larger group of related problems)

Decomposi on (breaking down informa on/problems into logically organised, smaller, manageable parts of data for analysis)

Pa ern Recogni on (fi nding and iden fying similari es among and within problems)

Abstrac on (represen ng essen al features without including the background details)

Computa onal thinking skills can be taught with offl ine, unplugged tasks as well as digitally on a computer. Robots use coding to understand what is expected of them. Robots are programmable machines, which can follow a series of ac ons. There are diff erent types of robots, such as autonomous robots which are able to move on their own, semi-autonomous robots which move partly on their own and remote controlled robots which are controlled from a distance. Robo cs has interdisciplinary branches of engineering and science, such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Informa on Engineering and Computer Science.

Consistent Characteris cs in Robots

●  Mechanical components and mechanisms of a robot complete tasks in the environment they are designed for. For example: Mars 2020 Rover’s wheels are individually motorised, and contain tanium tubing to assist grip on the harsh Mars terrain. ●  Electrical components and systems power and control the robot’s machinery and computer systems. ●  Computer programming is the set of code telling the robot what to do, providing it the ability to know when and how to carry out a task.