Students Learning to CODE.

This year’s worldwide Hour-Of-Code engaged millions of students, parents, teachers, and enthusiasts from across the globe to write code for 1 hour using technologies such as Touch Develop (Microsoft), Scratch (MIT), Blocky (Google) and others. Online tutorials provided students a brief exposure to what makes up a game and how each action can be broken down into incremental, achievable steps, then grouped and regrouped to create functions as reusable actions.

I witnessed multiple students from grade 3-6 learning to code for the first time. The students were actively engaged and extremely focused for over an hour, assisting each other, and were highly excited about their creations. All students were engaged, it didn’t matter if the student was on an Individualized Education Plan or NOT, with a Written Education Plan or NOT, identified as Gifted or NOT. There were NO discernable differences in their focus or level or participation, each person was successful. The holy grail of differentiation, teaching and learning occurred right before our eyes. Everyone was engaged, the lights of learning and excitement were shining brightly as each person was experiencing success, while helping and motivating each other to achieve through failure and challenging scenarios.

Teaching computer science by utilizing various tools and applications in an elementary environment will continue to be a fringe activity, assigned to an after school program or limited to a being a small component of STEM/STEAM. For widespread adoption, an existing subject area needs to be shifted aside to allow room, or there needs to be a change in teaching practice that engages students across subject areas with computer science as a core delivery vehicle. This can be done if we emphasize the development of detailed technical skills and applied knowledge early with students and teachers. Everyone can be a creator and innovator. We need to move the current generation from a “3 Taps & Swipe Generation” where everything is an App and easily discoverable to a generation that authors, innovates, and creates, knowing how to struggle while problem solving to reach a successful outcome. Students need technology experiences that go in-depth and do not assume that because they were born with the internet at their fingertips that they are technologically proficient. The teaching of computer science will greatly assist students to become creators and not simply passive users of the world around them.