Ones and Zeros

THOUGHT

Digital data is all 1's and 0's. How can this be used in a classroom?

REFLECTION #1

While completing my undergraduate degree with part of my combined major in Multimedia, I took a course in which I had to build a computer. We also studied binary codes, and the translation of 1's and 0's into numbers as well as hexadecimals. Putting my fear of failing this class aside, I think it would be a neat idea to bring binary code into the classroom, and have students create messages, on any given topic, in binary code.

REFLECTION #2

I think the introduction of binary numbers to students could be a fun way of looking at a different kind of math. This website brings up a positive point: "[...] even though I didn't like math much at that age I spent a lot of time for a while playing with converting from one number system to another."

Below are some resources I have found that could bring binary code into the elementary classroom:

Counting in Binary on Your Hands

Binary Counter
The Socratic Method I would like to look more in-depth at this method in the future.
Binary Numbers Contains videos on the exploration of the binary system.
Binary Counting for Kids
Text Convertor
Decimal/Binary Convertor