Pencil Code 9 great free activities for Hour of Code Annual Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week, encourages educators and students to participate in one hour of coding Computer science skills have enjoyed more time in the spotlight as educators, policymakers and celebrities tout the importance of coding and programming skills. This year’s Hour of Code reinforces computer science’s growing importance. The Hour of Code asks students, teachers, and anyone who is interested to devote at least one hour to coding during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 7-11). Participants can choose from guided tutorials or can join in scheduled Hour of Code activities that education or community groups have organized. According to Code.org, the group behind the Hour of Code, there will be 1 million more computer science jobs than students by 2020, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics projections. Following are 9 resources to help students and educators participate in the Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week.
Coding Boot Camps Fast Track Females into Innovation by Natalie Shoemaker The gender gap is Silicon Valley, where fewer than one in five technical employees are women, is no longer a well-kept secret. But we can't just blame the computing industry for its dearth of female workers. Some institutions have been able to bring women back into the fold and bring those graduate rates up to 38 percent. In these programs, most people don't have the same prior experience with computers as someone who may be a CS major in college, which is what makes coding boot camps so attractive to women. In 1984, 37 percent of computer science degrees were awarded to women. Manoush Zomorodi, host of Note to Self, reported on the case of Harvey Mudd College. Next they organized classes to minimize intimidation by splitting up students into two courses. It's an interesting approach; the only thing left to solve are the problems facing women after graduation. Read more at Fast Co. and WNYC. Photo Credit: Matt Cardy / Stringer/ Getty
Teaching Kids to Code Has Never Been So Easy by Natalie Shoemaker Code.org isn't messing around this year. As part of its Hour of Code Campaign, its homepage features individual tutorials with varying themes — ones that children (and some adults) are sure to be crazy about. Frozen-, Minecraft-, and Star Wars-themed tutorials are all available for free on Code.org to help introduce kids to the world of JavaScript. The tutorials designed are much less intimidating compared to the blank screen I was placed in front of when first learning how to code. The entire project is part of the Hour of Code Campaign, which is pushing hour-long tutorials to help kids and adults learn the fundamentals of coding and perhaps get them interested in learning more. The thought of learning how to code may seem intimidating, but Code.org and its contributors have helped get over that major hurdle by wrapping it up in beloved characters and shows. As Larry Wall would say, coding is like writing a recipe for creating a dish, a very, very detailed recipe.
High Schoolers to Choose Whether to Learn Coding in Lieu of a Foreign Language by Robert Montenegro Four states are currently in the process of approving measures to allow high school students to fulfill foreign language-learning requirements with a computer language instead, according to John Lauerman of Bloomberg: "Proponents say such an approach will help students get jobs and businesses compete internationally. We've talked in this space before about how important it is to get young people interested in coding. 1. 2. Of course, what this eventually leads to is a debate over which subjects get axed in favor of others. The only solution through which all bases are covered is if we as a society prioritize learning outside the classroom as well. In the video below, computer programmer Larry Wall explains how his Perl language is not unlike human language: Read more at Bloomberg. Photo credit: MaIII Themd / Shutterstock
China Is Teaching Kids to Code Much, Much Earlier than the U.S. by Stefani Cox With every shift in the economy, parents look for a way to help their children get ahead. In China, one of the latest and most popular methods for giving kids a leg up in the world is to teach them coding. The push is a response to the view that knowing how to program could make students quite desirable in the future job market. Many Chinese children are now getting exposed to coding by the time they reach preschool, as private coding classes for youngsters open up. Normally, youths of this age are working on mastering math and Chinese, but they may soon possess new skills in technology to go alongside these others. In this video from 2010, Larry Wall offers a crash course in computer programming: China’s technology sector is clearly on the rise. But China isn’t the only country putting a premium on teaching technology skills to students. As of yet, computer classes are not a requirement in the U.S. — does that mean it is falling behind? Photo credit: maciek905 / Getty
The Future of Creativity Depends on Kids Who Can Program by Orion Jones The future of creativity may depend on younger generations being taught computer coding skills just as they are taught foreign languages, mathematics, and science. As we integrate digital products deeper and deeper into our lives, from smartphones to cars which are largely run by computers, dreaming up new ideas will depend on our ability to use coding languages. Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States and former Google executive, has already called on educators to teach every American child how to code. The UK may be the most proactive at promoting programming to its young. In the US, Code.org has used its celebrity power, recruiting everyone from Shakira to President Obama to Ashton Kutcher, to promote its Hour of Code, an initiative which encourages students to learn computer programming skills. So where should you get started? Read more at Wired Photo credit: Shutterstock
Why the Future Will be Made by Creators, Not Consumers Megan Smith, Chief Technology Officer of the United States and former Google executive, wants every child to be able to code. That’s a sweeping but practical vision. If we’re teaching students the languages of letters and numbers to be able to speak, understand, and impact this world — math, science, technology, and code must be part of that knowledge. If we want students to be able to understand the technology that they use every day, then we need to start providing those building blocks from an early age. The ability to code enables young people to become creators rather than consumers. No Coders Left Behind Countries are starting to realize that mandating coding in the classroom could be the key. Bringing STEM into the classroom isn’t just a matter of providing computers and tablets to students or giving teachers a one-day workshop. Teaching the Teachers London-based Makerversity combines learning by doing and teacher training with its learning initiative, Makerversity DIY.
Teaching Kids to Code | EdSurge Guides Every era demands—and rewards—different skills. In different times and different places, we have taught our children to grow vegetables, build a house, forge a sword or blow a delicate glass, bake bread, create a soufflé, write a story or shoot hoops. Now we are teaching them to code. We are teaching them to code, however, not so much as an end in itself but because our world has morphed: so many of the things we once did with elements such as fire and iron, or tools such as pencil and paper, are now wrought in code. We are teaching coding to help our kids craft their future. In this collection we share many different perspectives on coding, from a university professor's vantage point (MIT's Mitch Resnick describes why learning to code is like learning to learn) to an entrepreneur's reflections from his cross-country roadtrip to bring coding—and his stuffed dog—to classrooms across the U.S. We should always teach children to bake bread, feed the goats and wield a hammer.
Why Kids Should Make the Video Games They Love to Play When educator Lynn Koresh hears from kids that they want a career doing something with computers, she asks, “To do what with computers?” Adults often encourage kids to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, and computing classes are usually a first stop. But Koresh knows it’s the real-world applications of computational thinking and coding language skills that bring such knowledge to life. She reasoned that most middle school students are already playing video games and might respond well to a unit on how to design, create, test and promote video games. “I wanted to give kids exposure to what it means to have a career using computers,” said Koresh, technology coordinator at Edgewood Campus School in Madison, Wisconsin. She gave students the task of designing a game using Gamestar Mechanic. As students develop their games, they test them on one another throughout the semester. “You have to get specific enough so they don’t say, ‘It’s good, I liked it.’ Ki Sung
The Best Apps and Services for Learning to Code Coding is a critical skill these days—whether you're building a personal website, assembling a professional portfolio, or striving for a promotion at work. Learning to code can be a lonely, confusing, and tedious process, but online learning programs have sprung up to make coding education accessible to everyone, even those with absolutely no coding experience or knowledge. Here's how to find the best online coding class for you. Look at the Price Tag Price is always a concern, no matter what you're buying. The à la carte model, such as that offered by Code Avengers, makes sense if you would rather just pay per course. Lynda.com and Udemy feature classes on every topic under the sun, and there are more than enough coding options to make a subscription or individual purchase worthwhile. Codecademy, on the other hand, offers all of its courses and materials for free, along with built-in tools for writing and testing coding skills. Course format is worth paying attention to as well.
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