Activity: unplugged and plugged computing resource- Thomas' Tangles

In the 9th Edition of the Hello World, Thomas' Tangles has been published (pg 74-75 just follow the link to download the whole magazine for free https://helloworld.raspberrypi.org/issues/9), as part of an issue focussing on Computing and the Arts in schools. Hello World is a magazine for educators with an interest in computing and digital making, published by the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

This activity is aimed at showing that using an algorithm, we can start producing drawings without a computer but with dice, squared paper and pens. Originally, it was developed as an unplugged (without a computer) activity within a chapter (co-written with Katherine Childs) on Computing and Arts in the edited book

Teaching Computing Unplugged in Primary Schools. The name Thomas' Tangles came from my son who developed the activity with me.

An interesting thing to do (well I enjoy it) is to turn the idea in a Scratch version, for example as in helloworld.cc/tangles.

You might need to play with the algorithm a bit such as allowing blocks to draw over blocks and size of the moves might change. I tried this idea with a group of Code Clubbers; they started off unsure if they could do it but all produced something and interestingly each with their own take on it. Below is my attempt it, press the green flag to see it go.

The whole magazine https://magazines-static.raspberrypi.org/issues/full_pdfs/000/000/084/original/HW__9_Digitaledition.pdf?1560282700

Please feel to share and add comments on how you use this.

The work is an extension of the Research into teaching problem-solving ing going on at the University of Northampton please feel to visit https://computingnorthampton.blogspot.com/2019/01/problem-solving-research-outputs-and.html for more details.

All views and opinions are the author's and do not necessarily reflected those of any organisation they are associated with. Twitter: @scottturneruon

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