Nothing strikes fear into some people's hearts like the word "coding". It is enigmatic, complex, and the new skill for children to learn. Past ISTE Librarian's Network President, Nikki Robertson, states that teaching coding is "tantamount to teaching reading, writing, and mathematics" (2019). And she is not alone in that view: Tufts professor Marina Umaschi Bers believes "coding is a way to achieve literacy in the 21st century". With coding's emphasis on problem solving, it teaches children to manage frustration, to persevere through challenges, to collaborate with others, and to think creatively (2017). In this increasingly technological world, children need to learn coding. School librarians and media specialists, as technological leaders, are in the perfect position to teach it to them.
But what if the technological leader doesn't know how to code? How can a school librarian possibly teach coding, if they are not entirely sure what it is? Unlike reading, writing, history, and science, very few of today's teachers grew up learning to code. Even the oft bemoaned Common Core Math is based on arithmetic concepts practiced since childhood (though admittedly presented in a new way). How can a whole generation unfamiliar with coding, teach this skill to a new generation?
Roberston provides several resources in her post Coding is a Basic Literacy: Library Centers Deep Dive Part 3/10. The post links to several coding activities that can (and have) been used in literacy centers in the library. Also included is a gallery of several of these activities in action. One resource, Hour of Code, links to activities that can be used in the classroom as well. For example, an English/Language Arts educator could encourage students to use the animation activities to tell or recount stories (Robertson, 2019).
In honor of Computer Science Week 2018, Patricia J. Brown, aka Ms. EdTechie, provided a huge activity sheet full of coding resources. The activity sheet contains introductory lessons on "Why coding?" and "What is coding?", as well coding lessons for students AND teachers. Those resources can be found here (Brown, 2018). School librarians, media specialists, and classroom teachers are not alone in their effort to teach kids to code. The internet is rife with resources; these are but a few.
Bers, M. U. (2017). Why Kids Should Code. TuftsNOW. Retrieved from https://now.tufts.edu/articles/manifesto-kids-code
Brown, P.J. (2018). Hour of Code. Ms. EdTechie [blog]. Retrieved from https://www.msedtechie.com/single-post/2018/11/16/Hour-of-Code
Roberston, N. (2019). Coding is a Basic Literacy: Library Centers Deep Dive 3/10. The Incredibly True Adventures of an EdTech Trailblazer [blog]. Retrieved from http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/2019/03/coding-is-basic-literacy-library.html
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| https://ccsuconed.wordpress.com/2017/06/28/5-reasons-kids-should-learn-to-code/ |
But what if the technological leader doesn't know how to code? How can a school librarian possibly teach coding, if they are not entirely sure what it is? Unlike reading, writing, history, and science, very few of today's teachers grew up learning to code. Even the oft bemoaned Common Core Math is based on arithmetic concepts practiced since childhood (though admittedly presented in a new way). How can a whole generation unfamiliar with coding, teach this skill to a new generation?
Roberston provides several resources in her post Coding is a Basic Literacy: Library Centers Deep Dive Part 3/10. The post links to several coding activities that can (and have) been used in literacy centers in the library. Also included is a gallery of several of these activities in action. One resource, Hour of Code, links to activities that can be used in the classroom as well. For example, an English/Language Arts educator could encourage students to use the animation activities to tell or recount stories (Robertson, 2019).
In honor of Computer Science Week 2018, Patricia J. Brown, aka Ms. EdTechie, provided a huge activity sheet full of coding resources. The activity sheet contains introductory lessons on "Why coding?" and "What is coding?", as well coding lessons for students AND teachers. Those resources can be found here (Brown, 2018). School librarians, media specialists, and classroom teachers are not alone in their effort to teach kids to code. The internet is rife with resources; these are but a few.
Bers, M. U. (2017). Why Kids Should Code. TuftsNOW. Retrieved from https://now.tufts.edu/articles/manifesto-kids-code
Brown, P.J. (2018). Hour of Code. Ms. EdTechie [blog]. Retrieved from https://www.msedtechie.com/single-post/2018/11/16/Hour-of-Code
Roberston, N. (2019). Coding is a Basic Literacy: Library Centers Deep Dive 3/10. The Incredibly True Adventures of an EdTech Trailblazer [blog]. Retrieved from http://www.nikkidrobertson.com/2019/03/coding-is-basic-literacy-library.html
Dear Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you said that the word coding scares many. I've had some experience with Code Academy in recent SLIS class assignments. While it's not my favorite activity, I do understand the necessity of possessing these skills in our increasingly technological world. As an information leader in my future school media specialist position, knowing how the basics of coding will be necessary in order to share with knowledge with my students. Thanks so much for sharing these great resources.
Michelle Grabiec
With all the talk about coding these days, it's easy to feel out-of-loop. I was very happy to find these resources because it made the concept feel a bit more accessible.
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your post and relate to being someone who will be a librarian without much coding experience. The only experience I have with coding are some lesson in Code Academy that were required in a previous SLIS class. However, I do think you are spot on that this is an area we need to explore and know more about. As teachers, we are uncomfortable not being the expert in the room, which is why I think many of us shy away from using coding with students. I enjoyed the links you provided and think they will be a good resource for me when trying to explore more on this topic. I know that in today's libraries, maker spaces are important. Using coding in a maker space is a wonderful way to engage students. Thanks for sharing this information.
Ashley Dawkins
Hi Melissa!
ReplyDeleteI'm very new to coding myself and I was terrified when I recently found out that I would need to use a program called Scratch to code my Makey-Makey kits to work. As I began to manipulate and play with the program, I became more comfortable. I think coding is the same as most things. When we lack experience, it can seem scary to work with tools that involve this skill.
On another note, my son just began visiting the computer lab in our school for a class called Tynker. He has to use coding to work through the program. He is only in 5k and he loves it. He has literally opened up about his Tynker class every day. He said he always gets a green check (the codes are correct) and some other kids get frustrated because they get a red mark which means more work is required. Have you heard of Tynker? I'm curious to learn more, so I am thinking about stopping by the computer lab one afternoon to see the program in action.
Have a great day!
Audrey Thompson