CSP: Digital Information
Representing Information
based on resources from Code.org and geeks
PBL by Silver oaks
What is your definition of information?
A lot of people think that computer science is the study of computers, like the phone in your pocket or the computer on your desk. As we’ll see this year, computer science actually has a lot more to do with information.
Make note of your definition of Information
Discuss with your parents / friends and post the most relevant definition according to you in Google Classroom.
There are many ways we can think about the word “information,” but one possible definition we’ll explore today is that information is the answer to a question.
We’re going to investigate what it takes to send that information back and forth to one another.
Family Group Activity
Information Sending Devices
Form into a group of two. You can also rope in your parents or sibling or friends in this activity.
Materials: everyday objects like pen, pencil, etc…
Discuss with your team mate and come up with a binary question, a question that has only two possible answers.
Build a device out of everyday objects to communicate the answer to your question.
For example:
Material i will use – Straw
Question: Is it raining today at Hyderabad ?
Possible answers:
Yes – I will bend my straw forward
No – I will bend my straw backward
After you build the device, each of you can stand on opposite sides of a room. One person asks the agreed upon question. The other one uses the device to communicate the answer.
No language can be used.
For example: If my question is “Is your favorite color blue or green?” I can’t put the words blue and green on my device. Be as creative as you can be
Modify the answer to your question so there are now four possible answers.
Update your device to communicate one of four possible answers to your question.
Consider:
- Should you modify your device?
- Can you use it in a different way?
- Should you make a new device
After you build the device, each of you can stand on opposite sides of a room. One person asks the agreed upon question. The other one uses the device to communicate the answer.
Modify the answer to your question so there are now eight possible answers.
Update your device to communicate one of eight possible answers to your question.
Consider:
- Should you modify your device?
- Can you use it in a different way?
- Should you make a new device
After you build the device, each of you can stand on opposite sides of a room. One person asks the agreed upon question. The other one uses the device to communicate the answer
Discuss
Reflection
Discuss in Google Classroom.
Think back to your simple two-option device from Task #1.
Instead of changing your device and adding more options every time you added more answers, how could you simply modify the way you use your device with only two options?
For example.
- Sample Question: How is the weather today at hyderabad?
- Answers:
- Raining – bend straw forward once
- Sunny – bend straw forward twice
- Cloudy – bend straw backwards once
- Thunderstorm – bend straw backwards twice
If you notice i have used the same device (straw) with two options (bending the straw forward and backward) to convey my answers. However i could have as easily used four options – bending the straw forward, backward, to the left and to the right.
Think about the pros and cons of using two options rather than four.
