Sparking Interest in Coding

As educators, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to spark our students interest about learning. More recently, our goal has been to spark interest in learning while also utilizing technology in many of our lessons. As mentioned in my previous blog posts, technology is an ever evolving tool we can utilize in the classroom. One of the main topics buzzing around today is the aspect of coding in the classroom. Like myself, many of you are probably wondering "What is coding?". Dalling (2020) defined coding as "computer programming... the process of creating software". For many teachers and students, coding is a new concept. Therefore, it can develop feelings of fear or anxiety in many teachers and students who are learning the coding process. Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) explain, "Whether they are total code beginners or amateur hackers, all students feel some sort of performance anxiety" (p.62). As with many other new concepts, students may be apprehensive to participate in the coding process simply because it is something they are not familiar with. When we are not familiar with something, we put ourselves at risk of embarrassment and failure. Both of which can be very uncomfortable feelings, especially for our students. However, when learning the coding process, students must realize "all computer programmers-from preteen amateurs to full-time professionals-experience bugs, errors, and frustrations all of the time" (p.66). 

So why teach something that our children are uncomfortable with? Well because coding offers many learning opportunities, such as problem solving, for students and allows them to explore their own creative minds. For example, coding requires problem solving strategies and even mathematical knowledge. As educators, we often run into the phrase from students "I'm not good at math" or "I can't solve the problems". Coding is a great way to break those math barriers that students create for themselves. Brookhauser and Megnin (2016) state, "...the whole 'bad at math' myth is patently untrue. Research conclusively shows math performance is determined by attitude" (p.63). 

Therefore, how well a student will perform in math reflects directly on their attitude toward math. It is our job as educators to expose students to math related activities that will boost their morale and hopefully make their attitude for math more pleasant. We can do this by introducing the concept of coding to our students and allowing them to work together to problem solve. "As your students grow their skills...they'll naturally start using computer programs to solve real-life problems in school, at home, and in their community" (p.67). Coding gives students the tools they will need to help them work through real life problems of their own. This process allows students to experience the types of situations they may encounter as they get older, not just in the school setting, but also in the work setting as well.

I know many of you are probably wondering "when is the best time to start teaching coding". According to Dr. Kewalramani (2019), "Early childhood is the best time to introduce STEM based play". Beginning in kindergarten, we try to teach our children problem solving skills. What better way to do so then by learning these skills through coding! Even in the early childhood classroom, students can activate their scientific inquiry through the creating and programming of something as simple as a robot.

Now your probably wondering how we can teach such concepts as algorithms (which coding requires) to someone so young. Bonfiglio (2018) states, "As it turns out, we all use coding concepts on a regular basis without even thinking about it!" Something as simple brushing your teeth, baking a cake, and even cooking breakfast require algorithms in order to complete the task effectively. Whether you realize it or not, all of the above mentioned activities require a list of steps in order to achieve the task. Teachers can take everyday activities and help students understand coding through those activities.

It is important that we find coding activities that appeal to their interest. For example, my kindergarteners really love Minecraft (especially my boys). I could use a software that involves Minecraft and coding to get them interested in coding. However, this is not the only way to get spark younger students interest in coding. Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) mention incorporating activities such as guest speakers, field trips to see computer programming in action, visiting a local computer repair shop, visiting medical facilities, and even connecting fellow learners across their region and around the world into coding lessons (p. 68). I believe these activities are especially important for younger learners. Allowing students to connect with or even watch videos of students their age or near their age coding effectively could be a real game changer on their outlook of  the coding process. 

When we see others are able to complete something, we are more apt to believe that we too can complete that same task. It is our job to make our help our students become more comfortable with progressive struggle in order for them to not only be successful learners while they are in school, but to also equip them with strategies they can apply in real life as they get older. As with many other subjects we teach, confidence and motivation are imperative for our students to become more successful digital learners.

References

Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class: How all educators can teach 

        programming. EdTechTeam Press, CA: Irvine.

Bonfiglio, C. (2018). Coding for kindergarten: 5 basic coding concepts 5 year olds can understand.

        Retrieved from https://teachyourkidscode.com/coding-for-kindergarten-5-basic-coding-  

        concepts-5-year-olds-can-understand/

Dalling, T.(2020). What is programming/coding. Retrieved from http://www.programming

        forbeginngersbook.com/blog/what_is_programming_coding/

Halleux, P. (2017). MakeCode for minecraft makes learning code super fun. Retrieved from

        https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/code-minecraft/

Kewalramani, S. (2019). Why preschool is the best time to spark an interest in STEM. Retrieved from

        https://www.monash.edu/education/teachspace/articles/why-preschool-is-the-best-time-to-spark-

        an-interest-in-stem

TedxTalks. (2017). Coding: By a kid, for kids: Krish Mehra at TedxKentState. [Video]

        Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsdfRbrNdk

Let's Be Social!

     Over the past several years, social media has become a tool many people utilize in their everyday activities. The advancement of technology allows users of all ages to access many different things ont he web. Hicks (2013) states, "Sharing status updates, photos, and links while playing games, instant messaging, or hanging out in a video-based chat room... it's all possible, whether from the smart phone in our palm or our desktop monitor" (p.137). Many of us use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram on a daily basis. We post pictures of activities we are doing, family members, food, and even share photos of ourselves to our friends on those platforms. As we are doing so, we are giving others just a small peak into our everyday lives. 

     While most of us use social media as a recreational tool (i.e. scrolling through Facebook when we are bored or watching a cooking tutorial on Instagram), other users utilize these media sites to communicate with others around the world and share ideas that can be useful to others. Teachers, especially, find us in YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other types of social media to not only enhance student learning but also to communicate with parents and other teachers from all over the world. When I was in school, students utilizing social media to create projects or even watch videos on YouTube to learn more about a topic was unheard of. The school I attended had the whole YouTube site, as well as Facebook and Twitter, blocked. We were not able to view any part of the websites, even if it was for educational purposes. Today, students can access some parts of these websites at school. However, it is our job as educators to make sure they are utilizing these social media platforms in a beneficial manner. "Depending on what youth aim to do online-and how they act as digital writers in doing it-they are constructing identities, building (or destroying) relationships, creating new opportunities for learning, and remixing various digital media to produce new compositions such as blogs, wikis, and videos" (Hicks, 2013, p.139). There are many different ways educators and students can use social media in the classroom. Utilizing social media can help drive instruction, as well as, further engage students in a lesson.

     There are many different social media platforms to utilize in the classroom. Twitter is a very popular option for teachers and students to utilize in the classroom. It is an easy to use platform that allows communication between users who share the same interest. "Even though Twitter has only a fraction of the number of users other social networks have, its impact on conversations between people around the world with common interest has been significant" (Hicks, 2013, p.141). Twitter allows students to share their thoughts and interest with people around the world. However, this can be tailored to suite each teacher's use of Twitter in the classroom. Many teachers shy away from using social media in the classroom because they are afraid for student privacy. "While social media can pose risks to student privacy, these risks can be managed with informed, intentional use" (Higgin, 2017).

   As with many aspects of teaching, it is important to allow students to learn about the use of social media through exposure of such sites. It is a great idea to teach students the ins and outs of social media platforms before allowing them to create their own projects. One way of doing so is to utilize a mentor text to allow them to see different ways they can create and respond to questions or videos on that particular platform. Teachers can utilize the Turner and Hicks MAPS heuristic to determine if a source to show students is a beneficial means to use in teaching different ways to utilize social media. Turner and Hicks (2017) break down the definition for MAPS as mode, media, audience, purpose, and situation (p.13-14). Below I have included a screenshot of a conversation on Twitter that could be used as a means for teaching students one way to utilize social media.

     The posts above were retrieved off of Twitter and the mode of this post was inforamtive. The tweet was posted by a teacher asking for advice on things other teachers have learned through the e-Learning/ distance learning process we have all asked to implement over the last several weeks and for the remainder of the school year. Therefore, the purpose of the post is seeking advice from other educators to enhance other teacher's instruction for online learning. The audience is educators and even parents who are trying to work through the ins and outs of distance learning. As you can see, other users are posting their own experiences, as well as, tips and tricks they or their child's teacher have utilized to enhance distance learning. Further down in the posts, users began posting links and videos of websites they have used to help them get through this teaching process. 

     After analyzing this post using MAPS, I believe this would be a good mentor text to use with students in older grades because it shows that Twitter can be utilized to help people solve a common problem through videos, texts, links, and personal experiences. It also allows students to see how easily it is to comment on a thread and become part of the conversation. For younger students, I would use something like Google Classroom because it is more private and easier to navigate but uses the same types of features as Twitter.
     Although there are many pros and cons to utilizing social media in the classroom, our students are exposed to social media daily. Whether they see their parents using Facebook or they are old enough to have their own accounts, they are aware of the many different types of social media. Some parents teach their children the correct ways to use social media but others simply do not have the time to sit down and explain the pros and cons of using social media. As educators, we could take this opportunity to teach our students more beneficial ways to utilize social media in order to help them become a more digitally literate individual.

References

Common Craft. Twitter in plain english. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com
     /watch?v=ddO9idmax0o&feature=emb_title

Hicks, T. (2013). Crafting digital writing: Composing texts across media and genres. Portsmouth,
     N.H.: Heinemann.

Higgins, T. (2017). Protecting students privacy on social media: Dos and donts for teachers.
     Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/protecting-student-privacy-
     on-social-media-dos-and-donts-for-teachers

Turner, K. & Hicks, T. (2017). Argument in the real world: Teaching adolescents to read and write 
     digital texts. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann.