Coding is very new to me. Of course, I had seen the dreaded codes appear when my old computer would crash or if I hadn’t saved a document properly. Getting a chance to understand coding in this class has been very neat. The idea of computer programming and all that that involves always seemed a little terrifying but I think I can safely say I am becoming more comfortable with the idea of implementing technology in the classroom and hopefully by the time I am a teacher I will have had some practice.
I must say that after our class I went back to code.org and continued Moana’s journey for a while, but I decided I had better step it up a notch if I wanted to learn a little more about coding. We’ll I’m glad I did because what I learned in my tutorial by Hello Processing was extremely helpful in grasping how coding works as well as the purpose it serves in our everyday lives.
I chose the Hello Processing site because it allows you to create images with very detailed step by step instructions. Although I can appreciate this program in some ways, as it is very straight forward fun and engaging, I also found this program to be somewhat glitchy.
When I eventually got to the second part of the tutorial, where we learn how to add color to our image, somehow my image didn’t restore from the last session. Luckily, I had taken a screenshot so I went through and filled in the code and was back at it.
Schools in the Yukon have not become fully involved with digital education, so I struggled to understand how coding could be used to benefit a student’s learning. I will admit it is fun and even somewhat addictive, but I didn’t really see what the fuss was all about. I choose to research this topic a bit to see what I could find.
The CBC article, Why Kids Should Learn to Code was very helpful and it brought to my attention a few main points. 1. Coding is a form of digital literacy, and because of this, it is important for children to gain an understanding of the function of code in order to better understand the digital world as a whole. Because many aspects of our lives are very much intertwined with elements of the digital world, we know that children will benefit from a better understanding of code. 2. Problem-solving! This was the big one for me – and after reading a bit more about it – obvious, too. Having children practice problem-solving skills through an engaging and interactive game (even ones like Moana) is laying the groundwork for some critical thinking, which is something children are doing much less these days.
All in all, I would say learning to code is something children will benefit from while having fun. There is a huge amount of variety when it comes to skill level or style which allows for flexibility and structure at the same time. The ability for a teacher to encourage the development of digital literacy in a way that can be fun and interactive is a win – win in my books!