The Best of Creative Computing Volume 1 (published 1976)
You Don't Need a Computer for These (computer-oriented activities)
A new learning activity from Creative Computing ....
You Don't Need a Computer for These
No computer? Then try these activities in class or at home.
Build a "computer". Using junk and leftovers (boxes, cans, fabric, yarn, spools,
bits of plastic, etc.) build your own computer. (Send a photo of your creation
to Creative Computing and we'll print the best ones).
Clip a story. Look for stories or articles mentioning computers in newspapers,
magazines, and non-computer publications. What was the role of the computer? Was
the reporting, in your opinion, accurate?
Draw a computer. What does a computer look like in a medical laboratory, a
school, a factory, on board a
spacecraft? Draw your view
Write a story. Will computers take over the world, develop individual
personalities, become as small as a wrist watch, etc? What will it do in the
home? For grocery shoppers?' For beggars? Let your speculations wander in a
story of your own. (Send your stories to CC.)
Produce a glossary of computer terms. Many "computer" words are not in the
dictionary. How can you find
such words and their meanings. You ought to be able to find at least 30 words
peculiar to the computer field (actually there are several hundred), and at
least 10 words or acronyms that are not in standard dictionaries.
Visit a computer center. Try a local community college, university, bank, or
company. But be sure to arrange your visit well in advance so you don't show up
on payroll check day.
"Well, I'm glad to sec that ONE day out of the year you kids can stop all that
screaming and jumping
around and behave like ladies and gentlemen"
