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Watch the four Binary Videos on the left and the one right above. Do the following Activity in Brainpop. Make sure your Logged in

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Watch the four Binary Videos on the left and the one right above. Do the following Activity in Brainpop. Make sure your Logged in

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https://www.brainpop.com/math/dataanalysis/computerprogramming/activity/

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https://www.brainpop.com/technology/computerscience/computerhistory/activity/

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1.  Select a common, non-electric household item that you believe is important. Together, write down answers to the following questions about your item: What need does this item fill? What do you think the first one looked like? How did it change? How could it still be improved? What might this item look like in the future? (Draw a sketch.)

2. Give an oral presentation on their findings.

3. Lead a class discussion about how the activity applies to computers and how they evolved and continue to evolve.

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Make a Mind Map to Show connections Between Computer History, Binary and Computer Porgramming

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This map is part of an assignment and cannot be edited. However, we can copy the map and you can edit the duplicate. Would you like to do that?

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An illustrated history of the computer with over 50 rare photos.

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Learn how computers count, and how to read or create numbers using the binary system. Zero in on this one!

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Learn how computers count, and how to read or create numbers using the binary system. Zero in on this one!

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Hour of Code

This year, we're taking Hour of Code to new heights by offering coding opportunities that encompass both artificial intelligence (AI) and non-AI components.

Want to keep learning? Go beyond an hour

Teachers: Host an hour or read the How-To Guide

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Use computer science to explore and learn about AI!

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CS Unplugged is a collection of free teaching material that teaches Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.

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The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) is completed

After successfully demonstrating a proof-of-concept prototype in 1939, Professor John Vincent Atanasoff receives funds to build a full-scale machine at Iowa State College (now University). The machine was designed and built by Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry between 1939 and 1942. The ABC was at the center of a patent dispute related to the invention of the computer, which was resolved in 1973 when it was shown that ENIAC co-designer John Mauchly had seen the ABC shortly after it became functional.

The legal result was a landmark: Atanasoff was declared the originator of several basic computer ideas, but the computer as a concept was declared un-patentable and thus freely open to all. A full-scale working replica of the ABC was completed in 1997, proving that the ABC machine functioned as Atanasoff had claimed. The replica is currently on display at the Computer History Museum.

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Computers | Timeline of Computer History | Computer History Museum

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The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) is completed After successfully demonstrating a proof-of-concept prototype in 1939, Professor John Vincent Atanasoff receives funds to build a full-scale machine at Iowa State College (now University). The machine was designed and built by Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry between 1939 and 1942.

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Submitted by: Gabriel Garcia

In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 6-8, students use BrainPOP resources to explore the origins of computers and how they have changed our lives and affected other inventions.

Students will:

1. Understand the history of computers.

2. Explain how and why inventions can change the way we live.

3. Identify the positive and negative aspects of the Internet blurring the lines between computing and communications and the affects of this technology on our lives.

Materials:

Computer with internet access

Encyclopedia dated 1980 or earlier (optional)

Preparation:

Prepare a rubric to evaluate your students on their assignments. One option is to use the following three-point rubric:

Three points: all questions answered, sketch imaginative and carefully executed, oral presentation well-organized and presented in a clear and lively manner

Two points: most questions answered, sketch adequately executed, oral presentation clear and organized

One point: few questions answered, sketch missing or poorly executed, oral presentation lacking clarity and organization.

Lesson Procedure:

1. Ask students if they know who invented the computer. If they don't know, inform them that, in 1884, Charles Babbage, an English mathematician, tried to build a complicated machine called the "analytical engine." It was mechanical, rather than electronic, and Babbage never completed it, but computers today are based on many of the principles he used in his design. Your students may be interested to know that, as recently as forty years ago, computers were so large that they filled whole rooms. They were so complicated that only specially trained people were able to use them.

2. If you can find an encyclopedia dated 1980 or earlier, have students read the entry for computer and hold a brief discussion of computers then and now. Show the BrainPOP movie Computer History to facilitate the conversation.

3. Ask students if they can think of any other inventions that changed the way we work and live. Can they trace changes and refinements in those inventions? An example might be the sewing machine, which, originally, was mechanical, rather than electric, and had to be operated by a foot pedal. Another might be the phonograph, which evolved into the CD player.

4. Tell the class that the activity in which they will participate will illustrate how inventions have evolved and are still evolving. Start by having students find partners.

5. Give each pair of students the following assignment: Select a common, non-electric household item that you believe is important. Together, write down answers to the following questions about your item: What need does this item fill? What do you think the first one looked like? How did it change? How could it still be improved? What might this item look like in the future? (Draw a sketch.)

6. After students have selected their items and answered their questions, have each pair of partners give an oral presentation on their findings.

7. Lead a class discussion about how the activity applies to computers and how they evolved and continue to evolve.

Extension Activities:

The U.S. Government pays out millions of dollars a year to "think tanks." These are organizations that research the state of things now and where they think things are going. In your class, establish think-tank teams of people with varied interests. Their assignment is to develop an image of a possible American culture fifty years from now. They should consider these questions:

What can the Internet do?

How do people communicate?

What new uses have been found for integrated circuits?

What advances in health care occurred because of the computer and/or integrated circuit?

What are the problems in society as a result of growth and development?

What new job possibilities are there that don't exist today?
The culmination of the activity is an oral presentation by each team, painting the picture of the world they envision and giving reasons for their predictions.

Another extension activity is to ask your students if they can think of any things we use in everyday life that are not very well designed. Do they think there are needs that no one has yet filled with the appropriate invention? Have students choose one of the following assignments:
A. Find an item used at home, school, or another place you frequent, that is not designed well, and redesign it to make it easier for people to use. (Designs may be presented as drawings or physical mock-ups. Mock-ups may be made from any materials available. They do not necessarily have to work, just so they represent what the real item would look like, either full size or to scale.)
B. Think of a problem that hasn't been solved or a need that hasn't been met, and design an invention to provide a solution or fill that need. Respond in writing to define the problem, give causes for the problem, describe your solution, and tell why your solution will improve the situation.

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Inventions Lesson Plan: The Origins of Computers | BrainPOP Educators

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In this lesson plan which is adaptable for grades 6-8, students use BrainPOP resources to explore the origins of computers and how they have changed our lives and affected other inventions. Understand the history of computers. Explain how and why inventions can change the way we live.

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Computer programming is the art of telling technology what to do!

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Loginto BrainPop Go to 2nd Tab

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Learn about an imaginary boundless surface with length and width, but no depth. Coordinate planes help you chart data and keep on track!

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Log Into Brainpop

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Students become familiar with the concept of a communication system, its various parts and functions. To do this, they encode, decode, transmit, receive and store messages for a hypothetical rescue mission, using a code sheet and flashlight for this process. They also maintain storage sheets from which they can retrieve information as it is required.

Pre-Req Knowledge

Basic map reading skills, such as those used to play Battleship.

Basic understanding of binary numbers.

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students will be able to

Understand digital data transfer.

Understand the process of encoding and decoding.

Understand the parts used in a communication system.

Educational Standards
Suggest an alignment not listed above

Materials List

flashlight (2 per group)

simplified code table for each pair of students (see attachments)

storage sheet (see attachments)

pencil

batteries for flashlight

maps (see attachments)

(optional) timer

Introduction/Motivation

It is the middle of the winter. Four friends decide to go mountain climbing but none check the current weather report. Their families are worried because the climbers are already several hours late in coming home. All of the weather forecasters in the area predict that the approaching winter storm will be really harsh and cold, and leave a lot of precipitation. The entire city is shutting down and everyone is going to be in their houses, except you and the other members of your rescue team. You are a soldier working in a Special Forces Unit and your challenge is to rescue the four misguided climbers before it gets dangerously cold and snowy on the mountain and they are stranded.

Your unit takes you up the mountain in a helicopter but unfortunately, due to bad weather, you and your teammate are separated from the other pair who ended up at a different drop point. Your walkie-talkies and phones are lost in the process. Due to poor visibility, the roaring winds, and distance between the two rescue teams, the only way to communicate effectively is by using your flashlights. In addition, the current conditions are high risk for avalanches, which can be triggered by any type of noise, so talking is strictly prohibited. Once you have found the climbers, you must communicate whether or not they are wounded and their locations using flashlights, the map and the code sheet given to you. Once you have reached your climbers, tended to any of the wounded and prepared them for travel, you need to join the other pair of rescuers. After meeting, you are required to light a flare to show the pilot that you are alive and have completed the mission.

Your goal is to complete this process in the least amount of time possible.

Vocabulary/Definitions

A universal coding system used for computer communications.

A base-two number system that uses only 1s and 0s. It is the system used to store data in computer memories like RAM and ROM.

A device that converts the encoded data back to the original message.

destination: The position of the object or person receiving the signal or message.

A device that converts a message/signal into a code to prepare it for transmission. Therefore it is usually coupled with a transmitter.

encryption: The process of converting a message into a code.

The third stage in data transmission (after encoding and storage) where stored information is accessed from the memory storage device.

Any electronic device that stores data received making it accessible to the user.

Procedure

Teacher Instructions

1. Make sure each group has a map for Team A and Team B. The map attachment provides sample maps as well as a blank map template for the teacher to edit. Do not hand these out before dividing the group of four into 2 teams.

2. If using the blank map, mark the location of two climbers for Teams A and B on separate blank maps and make copies for the class. This way, you can change the location of climbers for each class that you repeat the activity with.

3. Make copies of the code sheet (2 for each group; sample code for various characters and words).

4. Make copies of the storage sheet (2 for each group; for recording data).

5. Make copies of the procedure sheet (one of each kind per group).

6. Divide the class into groups of four students each. In turn, each group needs to have teams of two.

7. Read outloud the Introduction/Motivation section to the class (the "challenge").

8. Separate the teams in each group from each other and give them the maps, storage sheet, procedure sheet, table of codes and flashlights.

9. Depending on the skill level of the class, allow time for practice. You may also want to do a sample demonstration for transmission of a short code.

10. If you want to include a timing component to the activity assessment, start the timer when all groups have finished practicing and record how long each group takes to finish the activity.

11. After students finish the activity, go over the Investigating Questions with them. Now technically define how a communication system works. Explain all the processes and tools used to communicate.

Attachments

Troubleshooting Tips

Students may have difficulty with certain aspects of correctly transmitting or receiving the code. One solution is to give them enough time to practice and understand the process. It may help to them understand the process if you demonstrate a sample code transmission. Another possibility in lower-grade classes is to hand out only the procedure sheet to the students in advance (without the maps) and ask them to practice at home. Make sure both members of each team have practiced both the transmitting and receiving process.

Investigating Questions

What or who represents the encoder?

What does the flashlight do?

After which process will the data received make sense to you?

Why is storage important?

When you are sending signals, who/what performs the role of the destination and who is the source?

How important is error while transmission?

Relate this to the universal system model.

Assessment

Pre-Activity Assessment

When given a map, students are able to successfully determine a location based on coordinates.

Activity Embedded Assessment

Students should be able to successfully transmit and receive a code at the end of the practice session.

Post-Activity Assessment

Cross reference the data log sheets to see if the messages of Team A under transmitted data match up with Team B's sheet for received data and vice versa.

Start a countdown clock when all teams are finished with practice sessions. Decide what an appropriate time limit is depending on the class level. Remind the class that unless they get to the climbers before this time, the climbers might be severely injured due to exposure to cold and may even die. These times may vary between 15 and 40 minutes.

For more advanced classes assess where the team decided to meet, that is, whether they met closer to the team that had more injured or not.

Activity Extensions

Correlate this activity to real-life applications such as military communication systems.

Explore different types of coding (Morse code, Braille, etc.) and how each has a different application.

Research examples of codes that have been used for communication throughout history.

Assign investigative homework on how telephone, radio and TV transmissions are sent.

Activity Scaling

Modify the number of climbers that have to be found.

Reduce or increase time limits.

Make the grid smaller.

Ask students to come up with a code if they have already had some experience with binary numbers

Give them more words to deal with and evaluate based on least number of words used.

Give the map to only one team and ask them to direct the other team to locations avoiding the lake and rocks

Contributors Ozan Baskan

Copyright © 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2005 Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Supporting Program K-12 Outreach Office, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Acknowledgements

Creation of this activity was funded by Pratt & Whitney.

Last modified: February 17, 2018

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Mountain Rescue: Transmitting & Receiving Code Messages - Activity

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Students become familiar with the concept of a communication system, its various parts and functions. To do this, they encode, decode, transmit, receive and store messages for a hypothetical rescue mission, using a code sheet and flashlight for this process. They also maintain storage sheets from which they can retrieve information as it is required.

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ENGLISH Computer Science Unplugged - Part 1 Binary - 2005

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Transformers And Power Rangers Toy Reviews

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Unplugged: The show. Part 2: Binary - Counting

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This video shows an entertaining way to introduce Computer Science to school students. For the first part in the series, see http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=voqghyZbZxo For the next part, see http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=xc0stfTVE_8 The full show is available in one clip at http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=VpDDPWVn5-Q For more information, see http://csunplugged.org