It definitely helped me start to understand sorting algorithms when I tried using skittles and other physical objects I could just move around. Before that it just looked like a magic loop that worked somehow, but afterward I had an idea of what the computer was doing in each step.
Really, all algorithms are better when demonstrated on sweet treats. :)
1) budget concerns for monitors, computers, keyboards 2) students cant type
I think I could teach an array traversal using skittles, and I could teach binary search using a physical english dictionary.
One would be surprised how much of coding is trying to understand the logic of what is trying to be done. The api call can come after