Informatics Education - The Bridge between Using and Understanding Computers

1. Front Matter

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2. The Spectrum of Informatics Education

   1. Evolution of the Cultural-Based Paradigm for Informatics Education in Secondary Schools – Two Decades of Lithuanian Experience

      • Valentina Dagienė, Gintautas Dzemyda, Mifodijus Sapagovas

      Pages 1-12

   2. Discovering Informatics Fundamentals Through Interactive Interfaces for Learning

      • Ivan Kalas

      Pages 13-24

   3. Contributing to General Education by Teaching Informatics

      • Juraj Hromkovič

      Pages 25-37

   4. Bridging the Gap Between School Computing and the “Real World”

      • Cecile Yehezkel, Bruria Haberman

      Pages 38-47

   5. Programming Versus Application

      • Péter Szlávi, László Zsakó

      Pages 48-58

   6. Databases as a Tool of General Education

      • Peter K. Antonitsch

      Pages 59-70

   7. Handling the Diversity of Learners’ Interests by Putting Informatics Content in Various Contexts

      • Evgenia Sendova

      Pages 71-82

   8. Computer Science in English High Schools: We Lost the S, Now the C Is Going

      • M. A. C. Clark, R. D. Boyle

      Pages 83-93

   9. Teaching Computing in Secondary Schools in a Dynamic World: Challenges and Directions

      • Bruria Haberman

      Pages 94-103

3. Teaching Algorithmics and Programming

   1. Functions, Objects and States: Teaching Informatics in Secondary Schools

      • Peter Hubwieser

      Pages 104-116

   2. From Intuition to Programme

      • Michael Weigend

      Pages 117-126

   3. On Novices’ Local Views of Algorithmic Characteristics

      • David Ginat

      Pages 127-137

   4. Learning Computer Programming with Autonomous Robots

      • Shuji Kurebayashi, Toshiyuki Kamada, Susumu Kanemune

      Pages 138-149

   5. A Master Class Software Engineering for Secondary Education

      • Tom Verhoeff

      Pages 150-158

   6. Algorithmic Thinking: The Key for Understanding Computer Science

      • Gerald Futschek

      Pages 159-168

   7. Issues of Selecting a Programming Environment for a Programming Curriculum in General Education

      • Rimgaudas Laucius

      Pages 169-178

   8. Object-Oriented Programming at Upper Secondary School for Advanced Students

      • Lubomir Salanci

      Pages 179-188

4. The Role of ICT-Education

   1. Informatics Education at Austria’s Lower Secondary Schools Between Autonomy and Standards

      • Peter Micheuz

      Pages 189-198

   2. Development of an Integrated Informatics Curriculum for K-12 in Korea

      • SeungWook Yoo, YongChul Yeum, Yong Kim, SeungEun Cha, JongHye Kim, HyeSun Jang et al.

      Pages 199-208

Although the school system is subject to specific national regulations, didactical issues warrant discussion on an international level. This applies specifically to informatics didactics. In contrast to most other scientific disciplines, informatics undergoes substantial technical and scientific changes and shifts of paradigms even at the basic level taught in secondary school. Moreover, informatics education is under more stringent observation from parents, potential employers, and policy makers than other disciplines. It is considered to be a modern discipline. Hence, being well-educated in informatics seemingly ensures good job perspectives. Further, policy makers pay attention to informatics education, hoping that a young population well-educated in this modern technology will contribute to the future wealth of the nation. But are such high aspirations justified? What should school aim at in order to live up to such expectations? ISSEP 2005, the 1st International Conference on Informatics in Secondary Schools – Evolution and Perspectives already showed that informatics teachers have to bridge a wide gap [1, 2]. On one hand, they have to show the inherent properties that informatics (or computer science) can contribute to general education. On the other hand, they are to make pupils computer literate. Under the constraint of limited time available for instruction, these different educational aims come into conflict. Computer-supported teaching or eLearning is to be considered distinct from informatics education. However, in many countries, informatics teachers still have to support the eTeaching activities of their colleagues.

• Computer
• E-Learning
• IT training
• NOVICE
• algorithms
• computer literacy
• computer science
• computer science education
• database
• informatics curricula
• informatics didactics
• informatics education
• informatics instruction
• programming
• secondary school onformatics

• Institut für Informatik-Systeme, Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt, Austria

  Roland T. Mittermeir

Policies and ethics