Empatico is a free tool for educators to connect their classrooms with others around the world. We make it simple for virtual connections to exist in classrooms by combining everything needed in one platform: live video, file sharing, a partner classroom, and activities.
Thinking about what we could prepare for this day, we decided to organize for them an "unplugged" code activity. The main objective was to prove to them that anyone can code! My students created bracelets that represent the first letter or short diminutive of the names of American peers with the binary alphabet.
Our activity had several short phases.
I Introduction of the binary system
II Representation of the alphabet with binary code
III Transforming the initials of thier name into binary code
IV Realization, with different materials, of nice bracelets
V Evaluation, students' feedback, sharing impressions.
1. that we commonly use the classic decimal system with the ten digits from 0 to 9
2. that computers use binary system and understand only two symbols because they either receive the signal or not:
0, which corresponds to the power failure (so 0 = OFF)
1, which corresponds instead to the presence of voltage (then 1 = ON).
Then other student told them that using only these two digits, we can however represent not only all possible numbers, but also all the words, images, videos, sounds... all types of digital. They were surprised, especially when she showed the papers with Binary Decoder Key.
Conclusion
1. Students learned that data can be represented and stored in more than one way.
2. "Binary bracelets" is very inexpensive STEM craft program that appealed to boys and girls.
3. It doesn’t matter if you have no experience in coding because you can find so many different online or offline (unplugged) activities about first steps and anyone can enter to this world of miracles.