I think that computational thinking is an incredibly important skill for students to learn. It’s applicable to so many subjects and aspects of life in general. It feels like with the way things are going with mainstream AI, computational thinking is one of the skills that human brains are beginning to neglect in favour of asking ChatGPT. Things like “I have _____, ______, and ______ in the fridge, what can I make with them?” or “I want to go on a road trip around Vancouver Island for ____ days and do lots of _____ and _____. Where should I go?” There’s so much personal gratification to be felt when you sit down and work through a complex problem using computational thinking, it’s the reason I almost like planning trips better than going on the actual trips! Computational thinking is especially important in math. It can mean the difference between conceptual and procedural understanding of concepts and algorithms which is a gap that many high school students never bridge.

In terms of educational gameplay, I’ve seen and experienced a lot of success with games like Kahoot in the classroom. This is actually what my group inquiry project is about. I think that the key considerations of introducing a game into the classroom are: Is it meaningful? Is it accessible? And is it engaging? What I mean by meaningful is that the game serves some kind of purpose in the classroom space. Even if it isn’t directly related to content, the game could work on problem-solving skills, help strengthen connections between classmates, or act as a transition between bigger activities.

Using Google Gemini, I was able to code this simple Flappy-bird-inspired game with a black-tip reef shard swimming through a coral reef! This would be a fun game for any Biology class during a Marine Biology or Food Chain unit. I’d like to alter the game a bit so the shark can collect points by eating little fish.

I tried out the GetBadNews game and got a score of 18. I thought this game was really well laid out and very insightful. I can understand why some people in my class felt bad about playing it, but I think that’s the point. You’re supposed to be disgusted and angry, that’s what’s going to help the message stick, especially for teenagers and young adults who are even more susceptible to misleading media content.