Why Coding?

Coding is a process that requires logical thinking. In our digital world, students need coding and it should be taught in conjunction with other subject areas versus in isolation. According to Brookhouser and Megnin (2016), “Coding is a fundamental skill to open the world in ways we are just beginning to imagine”. So, the question stands; why coding? Because it is a fundamental skill, coding enables students to understand why things work the way they do, through problem-based learning, it closes the achievement gap between affluent and disadvantage students, and it makes students “think” about thinking which results in gains in other subject areas.

            Teaching coding starts with presenting a problem and working collaboratively to find a solution. If teachers do not have the right mindset, they may feel incompetent when trying to teach coding. When teaching coding, teachers must act as facilitators, guiding the students through the process. This enables students to explore, think, create, and gain confidence. Additionally, this process allows the teacher to learn from his/her students. Because students are involved in recognizing patterns, deriving meaning from abstract symbols, developing logical strategies for tackling challenges, building and testing algorithms, trouble shooting, and following complicated steps to a conclusion, Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) concludes computer science empowers students to tackle the problems of the world.

            In addition to students’ ability to think logically and translate their thinking process to other subject areas, coding lessens the achievement gaps. Paul (2016) states the persistent achievement gaps in our own country between white and affluent students on the one hand and minority and disadvantaged students on the other are closed with the help of coding for all. Some may ask the question, “What does coding look like within the classroom?” Mitch Resnick, one of the creators of scratch, description of a class consists of students working collaboratively to solve problems based on their interest (passion project). These digital projects will be housed in a student portfolio, so the teacher can monitor students’ progress.  What are your thoughts?

References

Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class. Irvine, CA:  EdTechTeam Press.

Merrill, S. (2017) The future of coding in schools. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/future-coding-schools.

Paul, A. (2016). The coding revolution. Scientific American, 315(2), 42-49.

Social Media

Social media, an internet -based platform, enables its users to communicate with others around the world by sharing images, videos, and other content. It has a major impact on society because of its prevalence and will gain power as technological advances continue and its users increase. What does this mean for 21^st century students and educators? Many teachers will have to change their mindset regarding the way they teach writing, and students will have to become digital citizens with a purpose for writing.

The video I have chosen is a TEDx Teen video. “Forget What You Know”, Jacob Barnett. In the video, Jacob, an eleven -year old, discusses his journey as an autistic student. His use of digital storytelling captivates his intended audience. According to Hicks (2013), “Digital storytelling-combining one’s own narration with images, music, sound, and sometimes video footage-has become an incredibly popular way to engage students in the digital writing process. As previously stated, teachers will have to realize digital writing, such as story-telling, covers each part of the writing process. An introduction must be created to gain the audience attention and set the tone. A clearly developed main idea, along with details and examples must follow ending with an appropriate conclusion. Throughout this process, students will brainstorm, edit, make revisions, and publish their digital writing. Hicks (2013) states that MAPS heuristic requires us to help students think about how, when, and why they are producing messages for different audiences.

For students to be successful digital writers, they must be taught how to be mindful readers and writers. Turner and Hicks (2017) concludes, “To build students’ mindfulness in social media spaces, we first need to help them see their participation in those networks as real reading and writing. Additionally, we must help assist students by nurturing their passions.  According to Rozzo (2016), “A Passion Project is essentially any task-based activity that is centered around the students’ interests. Students are more likely to remain engaged when class materials are applicable to their lives.
   
 My second video is from Ethan Gamer, a popular kid-gamer. Throughout his video, he provides a visual and descriptions as he plays a version of Roblox. Many kids watch his videos to learn different tips and tricks. As an educator, I see the writing process written all over his video. Again, this goes back to changing one’s mindset. Ethan has a passion for games, so channel that passion and structure his thinking to create “how-to” videos. Social media has opened the doors of possibilities for 21^st century teaching and learning; we must embrace it.

References

Hicks, T. (2013) Crafting digital writing: Composing text across media and genres. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Rozzo, A. (2016) Student YouTube channels for any level. Retrieved from https://edtech.worlded.org/student-youtube-channels-level/.

Turner, K.H., & Hicks, T. (2017). Teaching adolescents to read and write digital texts: Argument in the real world. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann