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Lorem Ipsum Dolor Spring 2016
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3. Sorting Algorithms: Heaviest to Lightest Activity
• Goal: Computers must sort information efficiently and in different ways,
for instance, through a bubble sort (iteratively comparing two things at
a time) or a quick sort (recursively dividing a set of things into two
groups and then sorting each smaller group).
• Curricular Barrier:
Typical classroom scales can be difficult to
manipulate, and objects' weights must be read via printed or digital
numbers. Also, keeping track of the objects being weighed to make
successive comparisons is difficult.
• Enhancement: We replaced the scale with a larger plastic one to allow
students to feel the arrow indicating the weight. Canisters being
compared have braille labels for easy identification, and circles made
with Wikki Stix are placed on tables so students can group objects after
each round of testing.
Picture 3 – Students using accessible scale to weigh canisters
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