Action Join goes back to the basic idea of a computer: an input/output machine.
The idea is to reflect the basic architecture of a computing machine - the core concept that is not apt to change despite the accelerating progress in computing science.
With Action Join, a computer program is reflected as a sequence of actions representing computer operations that can make data connections to other actions on the sequence. Each action can have input and output connectors that the user will use to build interactions within the sequence.
Every action sequence is itself an input-output block which provides a natural way for decomposition/factoring (dividing complex programming flows in units in order to manage complexity)
In computer science, computational thinking is the basic ability that allows people to create algorithms which in turn are the underpinnings of all software.
People exercise computational thinking while coding but the concept is much broader than programming. Coding is only one tool to build algorithms/software just like the piano is only one instrument to produce music.
There are many educational tools representing programming languages as colorful words, but that's a bit like teaching somebody music by providing them with a colorful piano keyboard. It can be a viable idea, but music should not be limited to the piano, just like programming shouldn't come down to coding alone. It is also inevitable that programming through code as the primary means to create software will become obsolete.
That doesn't mean that they will disappear altogether any time soon. Instead, like machine code or assembly language, they will become a niche and most of the computing problems will be solved by building programs in new ways. That's why computational thinking is more important than coding alone. Coding is like playing a particular instrument where computational thinking is like the musical talent itself. Of course, to exercise one's talent an instrument is indispensable but practicing only one instrument is limiting students' development.
Action join is an open platform where imagination is the only limit. That said we aim to provide tutorials that cover the curriculum requirements of different countries. We now cover the English computing curriculum and are working on other countries' needs.
In computer science, as counter-intuitive as it may sound, creativity and imagination is key. This is why the more you stimulate a student's mind, the better the outcome. That's why every tool should be complementary to others - not a replacement.
Computational thinking is like music - by forcing a pupil to play only one instrument, you are effectively limiting the development of their talent. Every pupil is different - one abstraction will work better for some, another for others - that's why we should provide students with a number of options to be inspired from.
