Computers are now part of everyday life. For most of us, technology is essential to our lives, at home and at work. ‘Computational thinking’ is a skill children must be taught if they are to be ready for the workplace and able to participate effectively in this digital world.
Computer networks, including the internet, are made up of computers connected together. By connecting people around the world and passing on packets of data from sender to recipient, the internet has created many opportunities. These range from communication (such as email, video conferencing, blogs, forums, social networks) and collaboration, such as wikis (including Wikipedia), to real-time collaborative editing, Creative Commons media (permission to share and use creative work with conditions stated by the creator) and open-source software, which is available for us to use and change.