Marching Orders

Do you think it would be good if people followed instructions exactly? For example, what would happen if you pointed to a closed door and said, “Go through that door”? Computers work by following lists of instructions, and they do exactly what the instructions say – even if they don’t make sense! So, coders must be good at specifying exactly what they want the computer to do.

Draw It!

In pairs, take turns drawing very simple pictures, like a smiley face, without the other person seeing. Then, describe to the other person how to re-create your drawing, without them asking you any questions. Were they able to follow your instructions?

This form of communication is most like the one that coders experience when writing programs. They give a set of instructions to the computer and don’t find out the effect of the instructions until afterwards.

Move It!

Now, take turns giving verbal instructions for how to get to a location inside the classroom using specific commands. Here are some commands:

Step forward _______ steps (specify how many steps)

Step backward _______ steps (specify how many steps)

Turn left 90 degrees

Turn right 90 degrees

Turn 180 degrees (turn around to face the other way)

Then, try the game again this time using written instructions instead of verbally giving commands. In both Draw It! And Move It!, who do you suppose was more like the coder, and who was more like a computer?