Lab-Based Teaching - Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach - page 155

Activity 56 on flipped classroom (Sect. 7.3) is another use of the Internet for com-
puter science teaching. Other examples are Google Trends as well as other tech-
nologies (such as, Smartphone) can be explored in the MTCS course as well.
Activity 71: The Internet as an Information Resource
The students are asked to design a lesson, which is based on the Internet as an
information resource, on some computer science topic that is learned in the
high school, for example, the history of computer science or different kinds
of sorting algorithms.
After the students designed this lesson and their suggestions are presented
and discussed in class, a discussion takes place that focuses on what computer
science topics fit to be learned by this teaching approach.
Activity 72: Exploring the Internet Through the Computer Science Lens
• Stage A: Analysis of Web applications, group work
The students are asked to explore different Web applications from the per-
spective of computer science. In other words, the students explore what
computer science ideas are implemented and used in different web-based
applications with which they are familiar. They can be directed to focus
on either the software design (e.g., the design of a profile in one of the
online social networks) and/or on an algorithm used by an online applica-
tion (e.g., search in one of the search engine).
• Stage B: Presentation of the group works
While the students present their products in front of the class, it is recom-
mended to check whether the computer science topics selected for explora-
tion can be integrated into the high school curriculum that the students will
teach as high school computer science teachers. It is reasonable to assume
that even if not all topics can be merged as a whole into the high school
curriculum, some of them can be integrated partially. It is important to
remember, though, that even just mentioning in high school computer sci-
ence classes the applications of computer science ideas in some real Web
applications, with which the pupils are familiar, can increase the pupils'
motivation to study computer science.
Distance learning is a vast topic that is still explored. Many questions about how to
apply distance learning effectively are still open. However, similar to face-to-face
teaching situations, with respect to which it is clear that active learning promotes
learners' understanding (see Chap. 2), it is clear that in online learning environ-
ments in general and distance learning environments in particular, learners should
be active. This assertion is based on the fact that in distance learning situations, the