Coding and computational thinking tools are all the rage in education right now... everywhere you turn, another company has popped up with another electronic device that will teach your students to code. But sometimes it is nice to unplug, right? Enter the Turing Tumble - a computer that doesn't need any batteries, wires, or plugs... just your brains, perseverance, and some little marbles! So how exactly does it work? First, you have assemble the computer. This can be a bit of a process, so I'd recommend it be done before you hand the Turing Tumble to students. I had my library helpers assist me in assembling my five kits for first time use. Here's a great unboxing/setup video if you want to see what is involved before you begin: The included graphic novel style challenge book is fairly self-explanatory. I went over expectations with my students and let them go... and wow, did they ever go! Within minutes they had the first puzzles set up and began running their "programs": But then came the best part... the talking. The first 2-3 puzzles are fairly simple and mostly teach the operations of the computer. Starting with the 4th puzzle, things start getting intense. The collaboration! The trial and error! The discussion about WHY it wasn't working and HOW to fix it! My nerdy-teacher-heart was SINGING!! YES!!! Just listen in on this discussion: And this one (from the same group)!! The puzzles continue to get more and more complicated, adding more pieces, demanding different outputs - it really gets them thinking! The Turing Tumbles are, without a doubt, one of the best additions to our Makerspace. I can't wait to see what else my students do with them!
Side note: The Turing Tumbles are named after Alan Turing, the famous mathematician responsible for laying the foundation for modern computer science! His work with decoding ciphers helped win WWII. Unfortunately, he was arrested and jailed for his at-the-time illegal relationship, dying an untimely death that is still debated whether it was accidental or suicide. Alan Turing's work was critical to the development of stored-program computers, and it can be argued that all modern computers are an iteration of Turings' work. Can you envision using a Turing Tumble in your classroom? Leave a comment below and let me know!
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About the AuthorHi! Welcome to my blog! My name is Christine Hurley. This is my 17th year of teaching - I've taught Kindergarten, 4th grade, elementary media, and now I am in my 6th year of teaching middle school media! Archives
September 2020
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