Community

Many schools, and even governmental agencies, are realizing that computational skill is becoming a new literacy. In light of these new requirements for success, it is essential for us to introduce computational thinking skills early in elementary and middle school education. Insufficient computational experience in schools is the basis of a public problem that may likely amount to missed educational and career opportunities, leading to more problematic societal issues related to economies and development. Therefore, to combat this civil problem, students enrolled in this class read articles and have discussions relating to the importance of building computing literacy for the maintenance of future economies and social-economic advancements. Students are then invited to work on developing educational, engaging materials using robots for community engagement events. They find much reward in the civic engagement experience, which allows them to impact the young Meadville citizens and to learn about their place and responsibilities in the local community. It also gives them an opportunity to learn how to communicate technical details to a non-technical audience as they interact with the Meadville community through teachers, elementary school students and parents.