Code

I first heard about, "An Hour of Code" in November of 2013.  Curious to find out more, I began to read about the drive to learn computer coding. The thought behind having kids "code" for an hour was to get them to understand computer science specifically how computer programs work. Now, I am from the 80's generation where computer coding entailed all these weird signs and commands and encompassed symbols that took me hours to find on the keyboard; kind of like shorthand another "language" that mystified me. My first thought was either they have simplified the process or kids today are genius'.

My daughter, sadly the guinea pig in most of my experiences, was enticed to get onto code.org and see what it was about. Tutorials by famous people and the lure of playing Angry Birds was enough to get her to try it. Soon we were both watching the screen and attempting to figure out how this new "edition" of Angry Birds worked. Well, it isn't truly Angry Birds but it was a lesson in getting the bird to get the pig through commands we were giving the computer. Notice how it went from "her" to "we." I was captivated. I could do this! This was fun and I could even show my students how it works!!

While we were playing games on the computer, I began to think about the advantages beyond learning how programming is done. I noticed that we had to slow down and think through each step. As an educator, this was fabulous. For years, educators have tried to teach kids to follow all directions whether  reading them on a paper or on a screen. I have been in numerous meetings lamenting the fact that kids don't "read" all the steps. Or if they do, they want to complete the given project making varied mistakes, usually because they have forgotten a step. You can't do this with computer coding. It makes you think, program, watch, evaluate, and sometimes redo your steps. It forces you go back and correct the problem UNTIL you get it right. You can't give up and furthermore, who wants to be beaten by an evil cartoon pig? You play until you defeat him. I love that you can see where you have gone wrong and easily go back and correct your mistake, hopefully learning from it.

I began to think of all the benefits, besides understanding how a computer works, that coding can provide. Knowing that I needed more resources, I began searching for more coding games. Trying several out, the one I liked was CargoBot for the iPad. I tested it and realized that even though we have gotten rid of all those confusing symbols, this wasn't my strong skill. However, I wasn't going to let a bunch of boxes beat me so I kept playing. I liked this app, not only because it was free, but it was engaging. It also taught me other ways to code.

So far I have introduced this to a small group of students and they are begging for more. The best part about doing coding with a class is it allows for all sorts of differentiation in skill levels. Students move at THEIR pace. However, students that excel can assist others, including the teacher, when they get stuck. Peer teaching and success is always a bonus. A student teaching a teacher is priceless.

I highly encourage looking into coding and seeing the benefits I haven't written about. It's fun, educational, collaborative, and gets you to slow down and THINK. I love it when it all comes together like this.

Try these resources
Website: code.org
App: Cargobot

Keep reading,
(Code name) The Noisy Librarian