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| Incorporating Coding in the Classroom (Edutopia)
As a kindergarten teacher last year & a 5th grade teacher this year, I have definitely learned that when introducing any new skill, idea, or concept to students, it can be difficult for them. When first learning something in my class, my 5th graders will always say, "This is TOO hard," "I don't like this," or "I just don't get it." In this crazy journey of teaching, I absolutely love watching my students finally grasp a concept and witness their "lightbulb" moment! In saying this, although incorporating coding into the classroom may be difficult or frustrating, we as educators should want our students to learn these new skills that they will develop from coding so that they can utilize them into the real world. According to Brookhouser and Megnin (2016), "Teaching our kids to code is not about teaching them to be computer programmers. It's about giving them the skills to change the world" (Pg. 60). Exposing our students to new and different things that they are not familiar has the potential to open up so many doors of opportunity in that they can experience new things that just might interest them. If I am being completely honest, before taking this class, I had no idea what coding was or why I should even consider incorporating it into my class. I am thankful that I myself have learned something new as far as coding and can impact my students and coworkers by incorporating it into my classroom so that we all may be enlightened.
In trying to incorporate coding into the classroom, one must first realize and understand the importance of technology usage in the classroom for this current generation and generations to come. According to Brookhouser and Megnin (2016), "The era of the computer as separate from education is over. Students are constantly using computers to access information, create projects, collaborate, solve problems, etc" (Pg. 4). With our world becoming more and more technology savvy, educators must take the time to teach students the correct way in using their technology as well as introducing them to different resources that they can utilize in learning new skills that can be used in the real world. Although we have computer labs and computer classes, our students still need more practice in using their computer literacy skills so that they may truly be successful. According to Add Coding to Your Elementary Curriculum...Right Now, "Early exposure to coding helps teach children how important it is to understand computers as the valuable tools they are rather than merely fun playthings" (Harrell, 2015, para 2). Of course our students know that computers are fun because they can play games, watch videos, and listen to music, but students should also know that computers/technology can be utilized for educational purposes as well.
Incorporating Coding in the Classroom
This video takes viewers on a quick journey into a real elementary classroom in Australia that incorporates coding through the usage of video games. Personally, I found this video to be interesting because the kids were so engaged because they were able to use their own hands to learn something new instead of just having to sit in a desk and listen to their teacher teach something for 15-20 minutes. In the classroom, students should always have the opportunity to explore new things so that they can better learn different skills.
How do WE, as educators, Light the Flame of Student Interest in Coding?In trying to light that flame of interest for our students in incorporating coding into the classroom, we must first let our students know that they will make mistakes with coding and that is okay. Although using code might cause some of our students to experience failure, we should still utilize code in our classrooms because our students must learn these certain skills in order to be successful in the real world. According to Brookhouser and Megnin (2016), educators must "Help your students understand that everyone is afraid of failure but that failures are how we learn, especially in coding" (Pg. 62). Coding can teach our students about the important lesson of perseverance...just because something gets difficult, you don't give up- but, you keep pushing forward regardless. Another way that we can spark our students' interest into coding in the classroom is by making those connections to people and locations that they are familiar with. For example, it would be great if the students could meet and talk with different people in their own community that are familiar with coding or even have a career that utilizes coding. It would also be beneficial to students to make connections with different nearby businesses or locations that utilize coding just so that they can see that coding is useful to all people. Even though not all of our students will find coding or computer science interesting, it is still refreshing to know that there are some students who will take interest in it and just might go on to create a career out of something that I exposed them to in my classroom! According to Brookhouser and Megnin (2016), as educators "Our responsibility is to light within our students a steady flame of interest and confidence in technology and the skill it teaches" (Pg. 69). With everything going on in our world with COVID19, making sure that our students are fluent with technology usage is essential to their future success because one does not know what the future may bring in terms of careers and its reliance on technology or computer literacy. We should make the effort to expose our students to all that we can in the short 10 months that we have our babies so that they may possess all the skills that they may need to be successful in the real world.References: Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class: how all educators can teach programming. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press. Coding In The Classroom. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jo0HbemmW8 |
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Let's LIGHT the Flame of Student Interest *insert flame emoji*
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I agree that students need to come to see failure as a way of learning. So often, students automatically decide that they are not good at something just because they failed once. However, with coding, students can hopefully grow out of this mindset. As you said, when presenting coding for the first time, we must make sure students know that it is okay to fail, especially in coding. Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) state that "Fixing failure is the work of a computer programmer" (p.66). Students need to understand that when they fail, they have the chance to improve and find the solution. Coding allows students to see failure as a challenge to improve their programming to get the desired results. However, it still does rely heavily on the teacher to present failure this way. If a student produces an idea that does not work, we, as teachers, must be sure not to respond in a way that projects failure. Instead, we need to respond in a way that demonstrates the need to improve an idea. Only then will students learn that it is up to them to decide if a failed attempt is final or a step towards the solution.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016) Code in every class: How all educators can teach programming. EdTechTeam Press, CA: Irvine.
Much like you, I too did not have very much experience with coding before reading the chapters in our books. I had heard the term during my student teaching. My fourth graders would go to computer lab once a week, and sometimes they would work on coding. I always wondered why it was important for them to know how to code, especially since I believed the ability to code was only beneficial for those who were interested in becoming computer or video programmers. However, after reading our assigned sections, I realized coding opens so many possibilities for our students. It helps them accept failure and grow from it, but it is also teaching them skills they could use in everyday life. Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) stated, " Coding really is about careful thinking and constant debugging, making it a perfect medium for students to learn the problem-solving, testing, and persistence skills sought after by today's employers and entrepreneurs" (p.66). Not only are they learning skills needed to perform effectively in the classroom with subjects like math and science (problem-solving subjects), they are also learning how to work through a progressive struggle. All of these skills can be useful to them not only in school, but also in everyday life, especially once our students graduate and try to find jobs. I agree that the earlier we expose them to coding, the more practice they are able to have with that particular subject. More practice leads to a better understanding of the skills needed in order to code successfully.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016) Code in every class: How all educators can teach programming. EdTechTeam Press, CA: Irvine.
I agree that "coding can teach our students about the important lesson of perseverance...just because something gets difficult, you don't give up- but, you keep pushing forward regardless." This type of perseverance lessons is critical for our students overall. Perseverance is a lost skill I feel. So many times we, adults and children, give up when something is difficult. Putnam (2018) shared " Allowing students to be involved in hands on project-based learning will engage students and give them the ability to expand their knowledge. This is also done in the comfort of the classroom, with their well known teacher whom they trust". Hands on learning experiences with coding can empower our students to overcome fear and feel the sweet success of persevering through something tough. Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016), reminded us "Learning to code can both trigger fear and dispel it.Addressing potential fears directly gives students the tools they need to fight through their inner saboteur. Help your students understand that everyone is afraid of failure but that failures are how we learn, especially in coding" (p. 62). I hope we can all encourage our students to keep going and remind them they are learning so much, even when they do something wrong.
ReplyDeleteReferences
Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016) Code in every class: How all
educators can teach programming. EdTechTeam Press, CA: Irvine.
Putnam, Christina, "Teaching in a Digital Age: Internet Safety
Education" (2019). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 429.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/429
It's crazy thinking about how much we use our devices and yet most of us know nothing about how they really work! I think this would be a great opener into a lesson for my 2nd Graders. I'm sure, however, that most of students would not have ever used coding much less heard of coding. I love how there are plenty of games, apps, websites and other resources to teach and aid in teaching coding, small or big! When the challenges are presented as fun tasks, I foresee the students not likely to give up as easily as they would a paper task. Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) state that "if we want math concepts to stick and our kids to actually remember and use them throughout their lives, we need to challenge them with projects they personally want to accomplish" (p.64). Our students connect with technology. They get it so much quicker and easier than most people imagine. Since this is true, it makes sense for us to use this to our advantage and use devices to teach them real-world skills that they will use to make an impact on the world later down the road.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class: How all educators can teach programming. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press.