Abstract

Open peer commentary on the article “Constructing Computational Thinking Without Using Computers” by Tim Bell & Michael Lodi.: With CS Unplugged activities, children all across the world can learn fundamental CS concepts without the requirement of learning how to program first. In the target article, the authors show the connection between CS Unplugged, on the one hand, and constructionism and computational thinking, on the other hand. They do so by providing a mapping between three CS Unplugged activities, Papert’s constructionism, and six elements characterizing computational thinking. Here we reflect on what computational thinking is, how it is related to CS Unplugged, and how the CS Unplugged approach can be deepened in order to explore the full potential of constructionism.