There is no doubt that computer technology has increased in the last 30 years. Coding has come a long way as well. It used to be a very niche profession but has started to become more popular. The debate that coding should be taught in schools has risen recently and those who are for it are purely concerned with where the world is headed as far as education and society are concerned. It is reasonable to say that computers are heavily relied on in today's world and that the teaching of coding will prepare students to succeed as our reliance on computers continues to grow. It has been said that learning to read code is like being bilingual. Someone who has experience with coding is becoming more valuable just like someone who knows how to speak more than one language.
Teaching coding in schools has become quite controversial because just a few decades ago it was something that very few people knew. The thought that it should be included into the curriculum so quickly seems hasty to some. The job market is assumed to require knowledge of coding in the near future so teaching this at a young age is considered one of the major pros. The other major upswing to teaching code in the classroom is just the idea of getting students exposed to something that will help them as they grow. Nowadays, with knowledge literally at our finger tips, it is important to put less stress on fact-based-knowledge and start getting students ready for the world that is coming. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't teach standard curriculum but the idea is to guide students into society and learning code in school would be highly beneficial.
http://www.codeconquest.com/what-is-coding/benefits/
I included this link because it contains the need-to-know things about what coding is and how it is beneficial. I think this link is essential because most people have a general idea of what coding is but don't know enough about it to say anything more than it has something to do with computers. If people were more knowledgable about the subject there might not be such a controversy.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/2015/02/20/what-is-coding-431/
I included this link because it also has essential information on coding. I think the main focus of this article/link is that coding is blindly considered to be difficult to learn but these are everyday average people that are learning how to code. Most people wouldn't know the first thing on how to make an app for their phones but they also don't know that it is something that is doable even with no experience.
I would have never thought that coding would be something we would need to include into the curriculum. It seems like such a complicated subject that we wouldn't need to teach it in upper elementary or secondary schools. However, because of the increased use of computer technology in today's world, I do believe it is important that coding is taught to students. What age do they normally teach this concept (or what age do YOU THINK it should be taught?)? Also, since this is new in schools, are there any lessons out there for teachers in elementary schools or secondary schools? Having never learned coding myself, I don't think I would be able to teach it to my students without having some lesson to follow closely.
ReplyDeleteI think that coding could be taught as early as 3rd or 4th grade. Kids these days are pretty advanced when it comes to computer technology. I also think that if this actually does start to become a trend and work it's way into the curriculum then it would be beneficial to start introducing it to the students as early as possible. As for existing lessons... I have only seen opinions on how teaching code would go in schools. I haven't seen any application or anything but I am sure that there is something out there that would give teachers a good starting point. In my opinion, as I eluded to toward the end of my blog post, I think that coding would be a pretty good idea to have in the classroom. Putting it into the curriculum would be an example of teaching proactively. There are no signs of computer technology slowing down so I say it might not be a bad idea.
DeleteI too tried looking for some lessons on coding and could not find any. If this is a growing topic, do you think a coding class should be required for an education degree? Especially if it is included in elementary schools where you teach every subject, shouldn't we as teachers learn how to code as well?
DeleteThat is actually a good point. I would have to assume that we would end up experiencing some requirements as we continue our own education in the next five to ten years.
DeleteLook at code.org, codeacademy, and hour of code for lesson ideas.
DeleteI would have never thought that coding would be something we would need to include into the curriculum. It seems like such a complicated subject that we wouldn't need to teach it in upper elementary or secondary schools. However, because of the increased use of computer technology in today's world, I do believe it is important that coding is taught to students. What age do they normally teach this concept (or what age do YOU THINK it should be taught?)? Also, since this is new in schools, are there any lessons out there for teachers in elementary schools or secondary schools? Having never learned coding myself, I don't think I would be able to teach it to my students without having some lesson to follow closely.
ReplyDeleteMy high school taught coding in every math class with a program called True BASIC. We would spend time every couple weeks in the computer lab writing programs that coincided with the material that we were learning. I personally thought that the coding was confusing and not relevant at all to learning the math skills. I do see some benefits to teaching coding in schools though, as technology continues to advance, we need to keep up with it. Instead of requiring every student to learn how to code, do you think that offering it as an elective class would be beneficial? That way, students who show an interest would gain skills from the class, and other students would not be forced to try and learn something that just ends up frustrating them instead.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of an elective but that would only work for secondary education. I think at the elementary level we would need to put forth some requirements to have anyone take it even remotely serious. I don't know where or when you were in high school or how relevant coding seemed to you guys but do you think that if you were in high school right now that you might have taken more interest in it?
DeleteI graduated in 2011, I'm pretty sure they still use the program there now. I think it would have been more beneficial and I would have seen at as being relevant if we didn't go into it blindly. I don't ever remember the teachers saying that what we were doing was coding or how it was important to learn. They would just say, "We're going to the lab today to work on True BASIC." I think if I was still there today, and the teachers gave an introduction to why we were learning the program and what it does, I might take more of an interest in it.
DeleteI agree that if you were given some sort of heads up as to what this stuff was all about then you and probably most of your classmates would've been much more interested!
DeleteThat's a great idea! Optional coding would definitely work in high school. However, what about in elementary school when they don't really have elective courses? Do you make it required or ditch it completely? Or is there a way to still make it optional for elementary students?
ReplyDeleteGood point about the elementary levels not having electives. I don't think it should be ditched completely, but teaching the very basic levels of coding in elementary school would be beneficial to them. Then as the students get older, they could choose to take the higher level coding classes as electives. Kids are already learning how to use technology and electronic devices earlier and earlier, so having coding as a part of the curriculum would be important.
DeleteIt can begin as an enrichment activity and build from there. The curriculum should be organized to teach certain skills at each grade level...skills that don't need to be directly related to programming.
DeleteFurther, there are low tech programming options. My dissertation research was having students create games using PowerPoint (basically the interactive powerpoint concept) that were 'choose your own adventure' in nature but related to content. Same processes as programming without the coding/language.