Coding for Kids?!

     After finishing my WebQuest project and beginning to focus more on my instructional website assignment, I have been thinking about students using technology in different ways.  The concepts of having students interact, communicate and learn through WebQuests, wikis, blogs, and instructional websites are becoming more common in schools now.  However, these usually involve “teacher-prepared” technology activities that students just access or interact with.  Most kids are not truly fluent with technology because they usually just interact with new technologies instead of also creating new technologies.  What if kids were encouraged to create their own?  What if kids were taught how to code starting at a young age?

     While exploring the Code.org website, I was shocked to hear that “1 million of the best jobs in America may go unfilled because only 1 in 10 schools teach students how to code.”  This fact really emphasizes the importance of coding as an important life/career skill for students.  However, what really interested me was how available and easily accessible programs are that teach individuals how to code.  I did not previously realize that there were programs like Scratch, Khan Academy, CodeHS, and Codecademy that teach coding; there are even apps for iPads (like “Move the Turtle” and “Robo Logic”) that help teach even young children the basics of coding.  Opportunities to learn how to code are far more plentiful and accessible than I had originally thought. 

    I think it would be beneficial for children to learn how to code so they can read and write new technology.  Also, coding helps students strengthen their critical thinking, problem solving, creative learning, cooperative learning, and higher-level thinking skills; exploring and practicing these concepts within the context of coding is meaningful and motivating.  I think coding is becoming an increasingly important life skill. I can definitely see the possibility of integrating it within my elementary classroom.  I think I would begin by using it as an enrichment challenge for students (especially the ones who finish assignments quickly and need a challenge).  I could also use it as a learning center during center time because it would promote critical thinking and problem solving skills.  Once students know the basics, they could create products via coding that display their content knowledge in other areas of the curriculum; for example, they could create an animation that illustrates the water cycle.  All in all, I think it’s a great idea to teach kids to code because it can better prepare them to live and work in an increasingly technologically-saturated world . 

 

I guess I better learn how to code soon…. 

 

Want More Food For Thought?

Watch Mitch Resnick’s “Let’s Teach Kids to Code” TED Talk