CODING in the Classroom

Learning how to code is becoming an essential skill for the 21st century students. The importance of coding lies in the fact that it enables students to learn a slew of other important skills all along the way. In his popular TED talk "Let's Teach Kids to Code", Mitch Resnick of MIT Media Lab outlined a set of skills that students get to learn from coding . These skills are also relevant for all other sorts of activities:

• It helps kids learn in meaningful context

• It teaches them that learning is a process and not a product

• It teaches them how to take complex ideas and break them down into simpler parts

• It teaches them how to collaborate with others

• It also teaches them how to keep persistent and persevere in the face of frustration when things are not working well

• it teaches determination and risk-taking

• It helps them become fluent with technologies and enable them to open up and express their ideas.

• It helps them be creative

• It helps them interact with the world around them

 

According to the website Mommy Poppins, learning how to code helps kids hone their design, logic and problem-solving skills, and allows them to express their ideas and creativity in lots of different ways. On top of that, coding is extremely engaging.  Each day, when it was time for my class to leave, there were always groans and whining about having to quit. Kids love simple coding, especially when it is made fun.

 

Should all kids learn to code? Really, coding is a language. A lot of people think we should be teaching it along with Spanish or Chinese. Many people think it should be available to everyone, perhaps even mandatory. Why? Well, because computers are so much a part of our lives these days.  The ability to write programs--or, at least, really understand how programming works--could be the difference between controlling the world around you or being controlled by it. When so much of what we interact with on a dailh basis is code-based, speaking that language con't hep but fundamentally change how you think about and use the technology. And it could put you at an advantage over others who don't speak the language.

                                                                                         - from MD Mama on boston.com

 

There is a national movement in computer coding instruction. Since December 2013, 20,000 teachers from kindergarten through 12th grade have introduced coding lessons, according to Code.org. Policy makers in nine states have begun awarding the same credits for computer science classes that they do for basic math and science courses, rather than treating them as electives.

                                                                                         - from NYTimes.com

 

There are real rewards for students who stick with coding.  According to Code.org, the number of computer science graduates in the US isn't keeping pace with the number of programming jobs available, which will lead to a shortfall of one million jobs by 2020.

Girls in particular are being targeted - and for good reason. Women receive just 12% of computer science degrees in the the US, despite earning 57% of all bachelor's degrees. Embedding programming lessons into school curriculums would ensure girls at least start off on an equal footing with boys.

                                                         - from review.gemalto.com/post/why-coding-is-for-kids