Computational Thinking in Education: Past and Present

As computers have become commonplace in everyday life, educators have begun to shift focus from working with computers (computer literacy) to thinking with computers (computational thinking). This article describes the progression of computational thinking (CT) from a historical perspective. This paper will first review the early stages of CT in the mid-1900s, along with its evolution over the succeeding decades. Finally, the article concludes with a discussion of proposed educational benefits, along with implications for future learning.