Computational Thinking
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- Create Date：2021-06-27 09:57:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Peter J. Denning
- ISBN：0262536560
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Summary
An introduction to computational thinking that traces a genealogy beginning centuries before the digital computer。
A few decades into the digital era， scientists discovered that thinking in terms of computation made possible an entirely new way of organizing scientific investigation; eventually， every field had a computational branch: computational physics， computational biology， computational sociology。 More recently， "computational thinking" has become part of the K-12 curriculum。 But what is computational thinking？ This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible overview， tracing a genealogy that begins centuries before digital computers and portraying computational thinking as pioneers of computing have described it。
The authors explain that computational thinking （CT） is not a set of concepts for programming; it is a way of thinking that is honed through practice: the mental skills for designing computations to do jobs for us， and for explaining and interpreting the world as a complex of information processes。 Mathematically trained experts （known as "computers"） who performed complex calculations as teams engaged in CT long before electronic computers。 The authors identify six dimensions of today's highly developed CT--methods， machines， computing education， software engineering， computational science， and design--and cover each in a chapter。 Along the way， they debunk inflated claims for CT and computation while making clear the power of CT in all its complexity and multiplicity。
A few decades into the digital era， scientists discovered that thinking in terms of computation made possible an entirely new way of organizing scientific investigation; eventually， every field had a computational branch: computational physics， computational biology， computational sociology。 More recently， "computational thinking" has become part of the K-12 curriculum。 But what is computational thinking？ This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible overview， tracing a genealogy that begins centuries before digital computers and portraying computational thinking as pioneers of computing have described it。
The authors explain that computational thinking （CT） is not a set of concepts for programming; it is a way of thinking that is honed through practice: the mental skills for designing computations to do jobs for us， and for explaining and interpreting the world as a complex of information processes。 Mathematically trained experts （known as "computers"） who performed complex calculations as teams engaged in CT long before electronic computers。 The authors identify six dimensions of today's highly developed CT--methods， machines， computing education， software engineering， computational science， and design--and cover each in a chapter。 Along the way， they debunk inflated claims for CT and computation while making clear the power of CT in all its complexity and multiplicity。
Reviews
Niranjana Sundararajan
，
Interesting but slow and slightly repetitive。
Ashley Barratt
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This book is an excellent primer for those wanting to know more about how Computational Thinking affects our lives。 AI， Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics are the equivalent of today’s gold rush - how can we make sense of the opportunity and the potential threat。 As a person would has invested a professional lifetime working in Tech - and who believes that empowering the wisdom of Youth is essential - the big question left at the end of the book contains an interesting challenge: ‘ 。。。 how This book is an excellent primer for those wanting to know more about how Computational Thinking affects our lives。 AI， Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics are the equivalent of today’s gold rush - how can we make sense of the opportunity and the potential threat。 As a person would has invested a professional lifetime working in Tech - and who believes that empowering the wisdom of Youth is essential - the big question left at the end of the book contains an interesting challenge: ‘ 。。。 how shall we shape computing education so that our graduates can develop the design sensibilities， wisdom， and caring they will need to navigate in this world， of which they will be citizens？ Our current curriculum 。。。 is not up to this task’Recommended 。。。more
Cas LeMaster
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Comprehensive。 Accurate。 Boring。It is essentially a review on the rise and refining of the computational sciences。 I had anticipated more of an algorithmic approach to problem solving and software-based examples but instead got an introductory course to the role of CT in science and engineering。
Sean Sullivan
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3。5/5 - Got more useful information on computer science from this book than I did my first semester as a CS student。 While very informative， I'm not sure it was great casual reading material。 3。5/5 - Got more useful information on computer science from this book than I did my first semester as a CS student。 While very informative， I'm not sure it was great casual reading material。 。。。more
Hannah Sabo
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I'm on the verge between 3 and 4 stars。 This book offers a great historical perspective on the history of computation and the start of the digital age。 However， this book largely lacks a critical perspective - not asking the big questions/not thinking about the impacts of advances。 The last chapter and epilogue incorporate those big questions and I thought were done really well。 I wish I had seen more on them throughout the book。 I'm on the verge between 3 and 4 stars。 This book offers a great historical perspective on the history of computation and the start of the digital age。 However， this book largely lacks a critical perspective - not asking the big questions/not thinking about the impacts of advances。 The last chapter and epilogue incorporate those big questions and I thought were done really well。 I wish I had seen more on them throughout the book。 。。。more
Thomad
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Lot of history without too much meat。
Garry Cotton
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Interesting， thought provoking， approachable and paints a vivid picture of where virtually any work in computational fields is heading。 Starts off with an overview of low-level computational thinking， in other words the breaking down of problems into small， logical steps and problem space reduction。 Finally， how the reduced problem can be formatted in a way that solution by computation is possible。Discusses von Neumann architecture and how it drives the process of computational thinking。 Computa Interesting， thought provoking， approachable and paints a vivid picture of where virtually any work in computational fields is heading。 Starts off with an overview of low-level computational thinking， in other words the breaking down of problems into small， logical steps and problem space reduction。 Finally， how the reduced problem can be formatted in a way that solution by computation is possible。Discusses von Neumann architecture and how it drives the process of computational thinking。 Computational efficiency is then tackled， the process of optimization and its impact， particularly in large software systems processing huge streams of data。Dips into design and architecture as an increasingly important component of software construction and a computational thinker's skillset。Finally， illustrates how the entire computational thinking paradigm will likely shift with the advent of quantum computing。The book does labour a little in the mid-section， losing some of its initial and closing fervour， but the content and ideas presented make it a great read。 。。。more
Sam
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I picked this book nearly randomly from the bookshelf in the library， and I'm quite satisfied with this choice。 The authors talk about important things， about which I also was thinking from time to time， but wasn't able to find sources to satisfy my interest。 Now I know， that it was all about computational thinking。 Spoiler: this is not just the ability to solve problems like a programmer。For me it seemed weird， when some smart people talked about the possibility， that we live in a computer simu I picked this book nearly randomly from the bookshelf in the library， and I'm quite satisfied with this choice。 The authors talk about important things， about which I also was thinking from time to time， but wasn't able to find sources to satisfy my interest。 Now I know， that it was all about computational thinking。 Spoiler: this is not just the ability to solve problems like a programmer。For me it seemed weird， when some smart people talked about the possibility， that we live in a computer simulation。 Like， I literally imagined that they claim that there is extremely big and powerfull computer somewhere， which simulates our world （here come The Matrix references）。 Well， maybe some people really believe in this。 However， in the context of computational thinking it makes sence: "Everything we think and everything we think， is computed by natural process。 Instead of using computation to understand nature， they say， we will eventually accept that everything in nature is computation。"In this sence， the statement that our universe is simulated is just a peculiar worldview。 Especially， taking into account that scientists regard many processes as computational e。g。 DNA transcription， brain and chemical processes etc。Well， I don't like， when people compare brain to computers。 However， the rise of such claims is "understandable as a continuation of the ongoing quest to understand the world through the latest available technology"。 Maybe， I don't have the neccessary flexibility of thinking， but when I hear， the comparisson "brain = computer"， I think about it as some fundamental postulate， which I don't like。 Now I see， that that this is also the way to explain nature。 Below is the citation， which I like， and I also met with this thought previously， but cannot remmember， where: "For instance， in the Age of Enlightment， the world was compared to the clockwork。 The brain has successively been compared to the mill， the telegraph system， hydraulic systems， electromagnetic systems， and the computer。"And as the pretendent for the next stage in this progression， the authors propose quantum computers。 They don't develop this thought further， maybe because quantum computers now are only theoretical entities， however， I would like to read about interpretation of brain as quantum computer。 Maybe， this will even allow to better understand not only brain， as hardware， but also mind， as software。In general， authors describe many interesting and， to my mind， fundamental things about teaching computational thinking。 The main point here is that institutes of education should be very agile， in order to provide the most modern and actual knowledge。 This is obvious， but also this is not， what you are usually thinking about。 。。。more
George
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Very much what it says on the cover - this is a great introduction to Computational Thinking。 It provides a good overview on the topic， building on early conceptions of CT and how these ideas have changed over time。 It delves into various fields and how they have responded to/ignored/eventually acknowledged this developing area。 For something that is about 200 pages， it does well to cover so much。 A good read。
Sinisa Szabo
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Good。
Mohamed Ahmed
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Great but not enough
Abdullah Shams
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This book covers quite a lot。 Most dominating point of view taken by the writer is on history of Computational thinking。In my view history is important， but for that it should have been named history of computational thinking。 The main idea of computational thinking even though connected to its history， grounding it in history misguides its progress。 Hidden in the spread of the book， there is a glimpse of the realization on humans parts， that at most our reality is computable to such an extent t This book covers quite a lot。 Most dominating point of view taken by the writer is on history of Computational thinking。In my view history is important， but for that it should have been named history of computational thinking。 The main idea of computational thinking even though connected to its history， grounding it in history misguides its progress。 Hidden in the spread of the book， there is a glimpse of the realization on humans parts， that at most our reality is computable to such an extent that you can rely on these computation with your life。 Its this form of reliability that enables further progress for the hidden goal to free human conscious for the ultimate realization。 。。。more
Barry C
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Professor Denning has written a comprehensive overview of computational thinking as it applies to many fields。 Computational thinking should be taught at the elementary school level （it's not programming）。 Professor Denning has written a comprehensive overview of computational thinking as it applies to many fields。 Computational thinking should be taught at the elementary school level （it's not programming）。 。。。more
Naynay
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would you give me this book ？ I need it for my research
Héctor Iván Patricio Moreno
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Una introducción bastante completa， entretenida y pensada para las personas que no saben nada de Pensamiento Computacional o sólo han escuchado mencionarlo por todos lados， sin entender bien a qué se refiere。Escrito por los encargados de recomendar temarios a las escuelas sobre lo que deberían enseñar en este tema， miembros de la ACM， es un libro que toca ampliamente a todo lo que nos podemos referir con el término además de la historia y la evolución。Si nunca recibiste educación de esto， lo rec Una introducción bastante completa， entretenida y pensada para las personas que no saben nada de Pensamiento Computacional o sólo han escuchado mencionarlo por todos lados， sin entender bien a qué se refiere。Escrito por los encargados de recomendar temarios a las escuelas sobre lo que deberían enseñar en este tema， miembros de la ACM， es un libro que toca ampliamente a todo lo que nos podemos referir con el término además de la historia y la evolución。Si nunca recibiste educación de esto， lo recomiendo mucho。 Si eres un doctor en Pensamiento computacional o ciencias computacionales， probablemente tenga poco qué aportarte。Otra cosa que me gustó es que es una fuente de referencias para educarte mucho más sobre el tema y que presenta los temas de manera muy muy sencilla， tanto que es posible tomar estas explicaciones para usarlas en clases o explicaciones a otras personas。Pequeño Resumen:- El pensamiento computacional es más antiguo que las computadoras automáticas。- Las computadoras automáticas eran un sueño de los científicos desde mucho antes que existieran， sobre todo de los físicos y matemáticos。- La computación nació como una rama de las matemáticas pero ha divergido tanto que no se puede decir que siguen siendo matemáticas。- El modelo computacional es muy importante y es la base para el pensamiento computacional de la época。- La arquitectura Von Neumann ha definido lo que entendemos como un programa o algoritmo， pero hay muchas formas de pensarlo。- Parece que el pensamiento computacional no es tan transferible a otros medios， no es una meta-habilidad- La computación tiene límites que es imposible sobrepasar。 De ahí la pregunta ¿Qué es computable？- El pensamiento actual de que el mundo es una simulación o una computadora es un pensamiento natural pero probablemente erróneo: casi siempre los humanos comparamos el mundo con nuestro último invento que nos ha cambiado la vida。- La ciencia ha desarrollado su propio tipo de pensamiento computacional- La computación no puede estar separada de otras áreas para que sea útil y debe aprender mucho del dominio en el que es aplicada。 。。。more
Matthias Noch
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Not bad， very detailed， but a bit too much tailored to starters。
Sarah
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I liked the comprehensiveness of this book given its length， and I think it did a good job of connecting some seemingly disparate computing concepts and dimensions， at least for a layman like me。 I also enjoyed the way historical context was emphasized when the development of computational thinking over the past few thousand years was covered。 Overall this was a useful read。
chsmiley
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Overall， I liked this book。 I have a background in Computer Science and the Computational Sciences so I was familiar with a lot of the concepts in the book， but had never read about the history and theoretical underpinnings of the CT movement from a big picture perspective。 The book confirmed some of my thinking about the way that computer science education is often divorced from design thinking as well as the domain knowledge needed in particular specialties。 The section on machine learning see Overall， I liked this book。 I have a background in Computer Science and the Computational Sciences so I was familiar with a lot of the concepts in the book， but had never read about the history and theoretical underpinnings of the CT movement from a big picture perspective。 The book confirmed some of my thinking about the way that computer science education is often divorced from design thinking as well as the domain knowledge needed in particular specialties。 The section on machine learning seemed to skip right to neural nets to the exclusion of other approaches which felt lacking to me since the book was more comprehensive in other sections。 I also agreed with another reviewer's critique that the book was light on ethical concerns in computational thinking。 This is especially true as it relates to the danger of promoting ethnic， gender， and other stereotypes using black box models like neural nets。 Other than that， the book felt well-considered and worth reading if you have an interest in CT。 。。。more
Teo 2050
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2019。08。04–2019。08。05ContentsDenning PJ & Tedre M （2019） （05:56） Computational ThinkingSeries ForewordPrefaceAcknowledgments1。 What Is Computational Thinking？2。 Computational Methods3。 Computing Machines4。 Computer Science5。 Software Engineering6。 Designing for Humans7。 Computational Science8。 Teaching Computational Thinking for All9。 Future ComputationEpilogue: Lessons LearnedGlossaryNotesReferences and Further ReadingIndex
Darian
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Pretty straightforward intro to CT that covers its history in great depth。 I appreciated the way the author（s） describe the field and its importance as a set of conceptual frameworks， rather than a defined programming-based or CS-driven mindset。Main issue with the book is its lack of addressing ethical concerns of modern technology and efforts to improve education in this realm。 Any CT book published in 2019 should be dedicating a whole chapter to this， not a mere three pages toward the end。
Sabina
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Great non-technical introduction to Computational Thinking（CT）。 The authors from MIT insist that CT should be part of a school curriculum like Maths and English。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Computational Thinking
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Computational Thinking&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft