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Impacts of Computing
Impacts of Computing
Computing affects many aspects of the world at local, national, and global levels. Individuals and communities influence computing through their behaviors and cultural and social interactions. In turn, computing influences new cultural practices. Informed citizens understand the ethical and social implications of the digital world, including equity and access to computing and computing technologies. The Impacts of Computing standards promote an understanding of the evolving impact of computing technologies on society through many lenses, including personal, social, cultural, accessibility, legal, economic, and ethical.
Sub Concept Areas:
Society
Computing can change or reinforce cultural practices and equity within society. Human social structures that support education, work, and communities have been affected by the ease of communication facilitated by computing. Governments enact laws to influence the impact of computing technologies on society.
Ethics
Computing is not done in a vacuum. The question of ethics in computing is for both creators and users of technology. If computer scientists and end users do not take into account biases and ethics of what has been built, algorithms and programs may have unintended impacts on societies.
Accessibility
The development and design of computing systems needs to take into account the needs and wants of diverse end users and purposefully consider potential perspectives of users with different backgrounds and ability levels. Identifying potential personal bias during the design and implementation process maximizes accessibility in product design, and awareness of professionally accepted accessibility standards helps to evaluate computational artifacts for accessibility.
Career Paths
The increased connectivity between people in different cultures and in different career fields has impacted the variety and types of careers that are possible. There are also many possible career paths within computer science itself, as well as different specialties within each field, that make computer science a broad and encompassing opportunity.
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Computational Thinking
Computational Thinking
Computational thinking involves thinking about and solving problems in ways that can be carried out by a computer. Computational thinking not only underpins all theory and application of computer science, but also influences many other subject areas. Computational thinking includes both core concepts, such as algorithms and variables, and core practices, such as abstraction, decomposition, data analysis, modeling, and simulation, that are vital not only to the design and development of computer programs but also to the strategic use of computational power to solve problems across disciplines. The process of creating meaningful and efficient solutions, often done in collaboration with others, typically involves these steps: defining the problem, breaking apart large problems into smaller ones, recombining existing solutions, analyzing different solutions, using data to inform new potential solutions, and looking at information in new ways to develop innovative solutions.
Computational thinking plays an important role in supporting the creation of solutions to problems, both large and small. Algorithms, programs, simulations, and data are essential to all computing systems, empowering people to communicate and collaborate with others around the world. The standards promote development of foundational skills, knowledge, and experience to solve problems by creating solutions that utilize computational thinking concepts and practices.
Sub Concepts Areas:
Modeling and Simulation
Modeling is the process of representing a system to allow one to observe, understand, or simulate it. Models can be used to simulate real world phenomena that are not easy to observe or reproduce, and often generate simulated data that can further understanding of the system or make predictions.
Data Analysis and Visualization
Data analysis is the process of cleaning, transforming, organizing, clustering, and categorizing data to discover useful information, draw conclusions, and aid in making decisions. Data can be visualized in a variety of ways (including graphs and charts) to aid in and communicate the results of the analysis.
Abstraction and Decomposition
Abstraction is the process of reducing complexity by focusing on key elements. The study of a complicated system often starts by simplifying it and addressing just the most important parts. Complex computer programs also rely on abstraction to isolate particular routines or tasks, especially if those tasks are common. A programmer can then call on that routine, often written by others, without needing to understand its details. Decomposition is the process of strategically breaking complicated problems or tasks into smaller parts that are simpler to understand, program, and debug.
Algorithms and Programming
An algorithm is a sequence of steps designed to accomplish a specific task. Algorithms can be translated into programs, or code, to provide instructions for computing devices. Algorithms are central to programming. Programming is the process of designing and developing code to perform a specific task. It includes the transformation of an algorithm into a specific language that a computer can read and execute, testing code under controlled conditions to ensure its accuracy, debugging the code to resolve errors, and producing documentation both for end users to understand how to use the program and for other developers to assist in following the logic within the program.
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Network & Systems Design
Networks and Systems Design
Computing devices typically do not operate in isolation. Networks connect computing devices to share data and resources and are an increasingly integral part of computing. Networks and communication systems provide greater connectivity in the computing world by providing fast, secure communication, and facilitating innovation. Individuals interact with data using a variety of input and output devices that are part of a more complex computing system. The hardware and software that make up a computing system process data in digital form. A basic understanding of hardware and software is useful when troubleshooting a computing system that does not work as intended.
The Networks and Systems Design standards aim to prepare students to understand the basic functioning of the computing systems and networks that are used as fundamental tools in our personal and professional lives.
Sub Concept Areas:
Hardware & Software
A computing system is composed of hardware, software, and the individuals who use them. Hardware refers to the physical components that make up a computing device. Software refers to the program instructions that operate on such hardware.
Networks & The Internet
Networks are formed by connecting individual devices in a variety of ways. Data is stored on one or more devices in a network and transferred between devices using a set of protocols or rules. The internet is an example of a global network that transmits data between many devices around the world.
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Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
In a digital world, all individuals have a responsibility to protect data and the computing resources they access. Cybersecurity encompasses the physical, digital, and behavioral actions that can be taken to increase this security. These measures are meant to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data and computing resources, as well as ensure that they are accessible to the users who are supposed to have access to them. Digital security includes understanding and identifying risks, implementing appropriate safeguards, and being prepared to respond to potential attacks. The Cybersecurity standards prepare students to understand why data and computing resources need to be protected, who might access them, and why they might do so whether intentionally malicious or not. It is important that students know how to employ basic safeguards to protect data and computing resources and how to appropriately respond if a breach occurs.
Sub Concept Areas
Risks
Risk is a combination of a vulnerability, the likelihood that the vulnerability will be exploited, and the severity of consequences if the vulnerability is exploited. It is important to understand why data and resources need to be protected and how they might be compromised so the correct safeguards can be put into place.
Safeguards
Programmers and individuals must know how to protect their data and computing resources with common safety measures. When combined, various physical, digital, and behavioral precautions can create a level of digital security.
Response
When a security breach occurs, individuals must decide what actions to take. This takes into account what type of breach occurred and how to improve security moving forward.
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Digital Literacy
Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is a multifaceted concept that extends beyond skills-based activities and incorporates both cognitive and technical skills. It refers to the ability to leverage computer technology to appropriately access digital information; to create, share, and modify artifacts, and to interact and collaborate with others. Digital literacy includes understanding the benefits and implications of using digital technologies to be successful in our contemporary world.
Sub Concept Areas:
Digital Use
Digital technologies are a part of everyday life. A variety of digital tools exist to create, revise, and publish digital artifacts, as well as communicate and collaborate with others.
Digital Citizenship
Digital citizenship focuses on empowering learners to use online resources, applications, and spaces to improve communities, make their voice heard, and curate a positive and effective digital footprint. It encourages students to engage respectfully online with people with different beliefs and better determining the validity of online sources of information.
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