Computational thinking and interdisciplinary encounters: keynote address
Paul Dourish · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2010
In an influential 2006 article, Jeanette Wing called for the elaboration of an approach to Wing argued that computational thinking expresses the importance of computer science to general education, and provides a basis for interdisciplinary collaboration, by setting out the conceptual foundations of computational modeling and reasoning. In this talk, I want to reflect on alternative ways of approaching computational thinking as a site of disciplinary encounter, with a particular focus on the ways that interdisciplinary work might be generative of new forms of computational thinking. This work grows out of a collaboration with colleagues in Australia, whose research is focused on the use of information technology in the cultural practices of indigenous Australian groups, particularly the Yolngu of Northeast Arnhemland. Yolngu epistemology provides an interesting starting point for reconsidering aspects of computational practice, which suggests new perspectives on computational thinking and its practice, and on the possible relationship between computer science and other disciplines.