Coding - have you considered using it in your school?

CODING

I was a computer information systems major when I first started college back in the 1980's and I remember the pages and pages of script it took to create simple tasks in C and C++.  When I began teaching back in the 1980's I had my students use Apple LOGO to learn simple programming tasks.  Programming languages, computers, phones and other digital devices have evolved immensely. Aaron Skonnard wrote an article titled, "Cracking the Tech Job Talent Crunch by Teaching Kids to Code."  With the growth of tech jobs,  why aren't educators teaching students to code.  Coding not only requires a lot of thinking and planning, but it requires students to learn through trial and error.  Skonnard goes on to say that the market is out there for programmers, developers and computer science graduates, but there aren't enough skilled workers to handle the demand.  Shannon Miller also wrote a blog about coding titled, "One Thing I Am Going to Focus On and Learn This summer...Coding and Integrating It Into Our Curriculum." Ms. Miller also shares her focus and game plan to make this happen in her school.  I definitely see where Miller,  Skonnard and the video producer, Code.Org are coming from.  We need to be teaching students how to design, compose and test out programs.  Scroll over the image below to see some very informative videos about coding and why you should be using it at your school.  You will also find out about some organizations that target teens and girls to teach them how to code.

                                   

Shannon Miller gave me permission to embed her Symbaloo Mix titled: Coding, Coding, Coding!  In this mix she has compiled a number of coding sites that will help you implement some coding into your curriculum.

Code .Org offers programs  that will help students learn coding.  You can go to their site to see other suggestions and tools that they offer.    What ways can you incorporate coding into your classroom or library?  

Thanks to Shannon Miller for sharing her symbaloo matrix.  You can find out how Sharron will work with her staff to implement coding.  Her blog is found here: http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/