Blog post 5

Hello all,

Here are 5 active learning activities that you can use in your Computer Science class.

	Name of the activity	Suitable to teach which CS topic?
1	PIM(Plus-Minus-Interesting)	Importance of information technology
2	POST-IT COLLECTION	secrecy and security
3	REVOLVING CIRCLE	Use of social media
4	SIMULATION	Information crimes
5	STICK DEBATE	Digital citizenship

	Name of the activity	Detailed Summary of its steps
1	PIM(Plus-Minus-Interesting) Subject: Importance of information technology	Facilitator discusses with pupils the meaning of PMI and explains what each term means: Plus = a benefit t, Minus = a downside, Interesting = an interesting. In this activity, the students are shown a template including areas to write positive, negative and interesting dimensions of information technologies. Students came to the board and they write positive dimension under plus area, negative dimensions under minus area and interesting dimensions under interesting area and they discuss why they put those dimensions under those areas. Thanks to this activity, students who don’t interest any side of information technologies can interest.
2	POST-IT COLLECTION Subject:  Secrecy and Security	Pupils in groups of four to six receive a Post-It sheet per pupil. In this activity, Each pupil writes his own idea about secrecy and security in online environment on his own post-it and writes some examples belonging to dangers of doing mistake behaviors in online areas which harms our security and secrecy on it. Then, each group’s members come together and they discuss what they wrote as individually. After completing ideas, a general post-it, that including summary of ideas of all members of group and examples with it, is prepared as group post-it.  At the end, Ideas from each group are placed on a flip chart and discussed with all classes.
3	REVOLVING CIRCLE Subject: Use of social media	Pupils divide into two groups. One group forms an inner circle and the other group forms an outer circle Pupils face each other. The inner circle then rotates clockwise and the outer circle rotates anti-clockwise. In this activity, each student will discuss about use of social media with many other students. While circles rotating, students will first ask to each students while they are standing face to face about  which social media tool they use. After, a full return completed, question will change and students will ask to each other for which aim they prefer using social media. The activity can be continued by adding new questions.  The general aim is to let each students discuss with many students about a specific idea of social media.
4	SIMULATION Subject: Information crimes	This activity is a role play activity. In this activity, students will learn information crimes and their penalty. Firstly, a court environment will be designed in the class. A student will be judge. Three students will be co-judge.  A few students will be public prosecutor and some students will be criminal. In this activity, some students is guessed that they have done some information crimes and their situation will be discusses by other in the court. After, discussing, firstly, it will be decided whether it is really an information crime or not. Secondly, it will be decided what penalty should be given if it is an information crime.
5	STICK DEBATE Subject: Digital citizenship	Each pupil receives three (lollipop) sticks. Every time that someone cannot speak, they must hand in a stick. In this activity, each student will have to talk about what to do to be a conscious digital citizenship and what the digital citizenship means. If students cannot give any answer they will lose a stick. The person who lost his all stick will be eliminated and the students who have most sticks in his hand will win.

Notice : I would like to mention that activities here are inspired or adapted from http://www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/key_stage_3/ALTM-KS3.pdf