I was at a conference last July, and one of the other coding teachers said that in order for him to teach coding using Swift in his country (Poland) that he would have to justify, " Why Swift?" Initially I thought, "Well, why not? Apple has created this new language. They make great hardware and software for us to use when we teach." Now that I have had some time to reflect upon that simple, but powerful question, I think that I have a much better, more well-reasoned answer. Note: The following may be a little nerdy at times, but I will do my best to be in teacher mode the entire time so that the explanations are a simple and understandable as possible.
Years ago, I wrote a piece suggesting that computer coding should be a basic requirement in junior high schools. I compared it to a required class I myself took in grade school: Typing, a skill that helped throughout my life. I brought up the idea again last week while moderating a panel at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. One of the panelists, MIT Media Lab Senior Research Scientist Kipp Bradford, challenged me on the idea. Bradford acknowledged the importance of coding classes. But he argued that given today's complex programming landscape (there are well over 100 languages in use), basic coding isn't the right course to prepare students for the job market of
As defined by Jeannette Wing, computational thinking is “a way of solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts of computer science.” To the students at my school, it’s an approach to tackling challenging questions and ambiguous puzzles. We explicitly integrate computational thinking into all of our classes, allowing students to draw parallels between what they’re learning and how they’re approaching problems across all disciplines.
Our students rely on four computational thinking skills, as well as a set of essential attitudes
This article provides schools, teachers and administrators with helpful information on how to introduce coding for schools. Read the guide to learn more.
Schools around the world are adapting their curriculum to focus on digital technology and computer science. Tim Bell, founder of CS Unplugged, shares ideas for any educator looking to get started with computer science education.
"In recent years there’s been a lot of emphasis on teaching kids computer science both in high school and at much younger ages. Computers are an integral part of schools and workplaces; many educators and parents believe learning to code is now a skill akin to learning to write. And as employers recognize that American students aren’t graduating with the skills they need at their companies, there has been a push for more science, technology, engineering and math courses. Computer science has sparked a lot of excitement as a field where well-paid jobs will exist in the future.
But beyond writing the code itself, many argue that the thinking processes inherent to a computer related problem are important for all people to learn. Advocates say what’s known as “computational thinking” is useful for anyone trying to break a large problem down into more manageable parts. In her New York Times article Laura Pappano writes that computational thinking is another problem solving strategy that could be applied to the humanities as well as technology. She interviewed Microsoft’s Jeannette M. Wing, who is a former professor at Carnegie Mellon and author of an influential paper on computational thinking:"
In “The Beauty and Joy of Computing,” the course he helped conceive for nonmajors at the University of California, Berkeley, Daniel Garcia explains an all-important concept in computer science — abstraction — in terms of milkshakes.
Girls Learning Code is excited to combine the power of storytelling with basic design and programming skills for our popular storytelling and animation workshop!
On May 13, 2017, Ladies Learning Code is hosting its fourth annual Girls Learning Code Day in celebration of International Scratch Day!
This year, we'll build on our mission of teaching girls 21st century digital skills and encourage them to tell their story through digital media.
Using Scratch, a beginner level programming environment that encourages mathematical and computational skills, imagination will come to life throughout the day in a new and digitally engaging form. Girls will also be introduced to Scratch's amazing online community sloganed: "Imagine, Program, Share." where they will have the opportunity to upload their project for anyone on the web to enjoy!
At the end of the workshop, each girl will also get a chance to practice their presentation skills and showcase their creation for everyone attending the workshop to experience and enjoy!
CS Unplugged is a collection of free learning activities that teach Computer Science through engaging games and puzzles that use cards, string, crayons and lots of running around.
The activities introduce students to Computational Thinking through concepts such as binary numbers, algorithms and data compression, separated from the distractions and technical details of having to use computers. Importantly, no programming is required to engage with these ideas!
CS Unplugged is suitable for people of all ages, from elementary school to seniors, and from many countries and backgrounds. Unplugged has been used around the world for over twenty years, in classrooms, science centers, homes, and even for holiday events in a park!
Brian is a grade 7/8 teacher on a mission to expose as many kids as he can to coding and computer science. In this passionate talk, he makes a case for the importance of exposing youth to the principles of coding and computational thinking to prepare them for a rapidly changing future.
Brian is a grade 7/8 teacher and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert who develops web applications to support 21st century learning practices and pedagogies. His latest project, edmettle, is a tool to support and develop student feedback to improve learning. Brian speaks professionally on the topics of 21st century education, assessment and evaluation and has given two TEDx talks on education reform.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems and is currently completing his Masters of Professional Education in Math & Computational Strategies.
To get content containing either thought or leadership enter:
To get content containing both thought and leadership enter:
To get content containing the expression thought leadership enter:
You can enter several keywords and you can refine them whenever you want. Our suggestion engine uses more signals but entering a few keywords here will rapidly give you great content to curate.
Your new post is loading...
