Coding seems to be the buzz word in education these days. Whether or not your kids are coding or not seems to determine your worth and value as an educator. And the more I learn about what coding actually is, I think they might be right...to an extent. I'm not saying a teacher that never gives opportunity for kids to code is a failure, but I would challenge them and ask, Why not let them code?
Mark Osbourne challenged me earlier this year with the notion that we need to be teaching to our students future, not to our own past. Teaching kids to code seems to naturally fit into this goal of teaching students to be successful adults.
So with the challenge of having our students code, I think the answer for why teachers are not creating opportunities for coding is because they themselves have no idea how to code or even what coding really is.
I fit into this mould of teacher. Today was the first day I have ever tried coding. My students on the other hand have been coding from the beginning of the school year. How? Simple. Point them where to go and let them explore, discover and create.
On our google classroom page I have a list of websites for them to check out on their own time, or when they are done assignments. Included in this list are www.codeacademy.com, www.code.org, www.hourofcode.com, www.bitsbox.com, and www.tynker.com. My students have been exploring these pages completely without me. In fact they never even tried to ask me for help. They just explore and discovered on their own. Occasionally a student will be seen doing something really cool with coding, which will cause students to ask them.
So the simple solution to me is, who cares if you can't code. You do not have to be the expert. This ties in perfectly with the Maker Movement of lettings students discover. It also ties into inquiry knowledge. Giving them time and access to these websites is the provocation. Now let them explore. Let them become the expert.
Today I tried coding for the first time using a free downloaded computer program called Kodu. In a few short minutes I was able to create a game where your 'Kodu' searches for red apples, while avoiding black apples in order to gain points. After a few more minutes I was able to create an even more elaborate world with filled with hills, water, trees, and obstacles. It was pretty exciting, even as a 'non-gamer' adult. The part of Kodu that I am most excited about is it's emphasis on sharing. All games created using Kodu become part of a larger gaming community where you can explore games others have created. This fits in well with giving students a larger audience to make them care more about the quality of their work. I look forward to incorporating this game into my classroom.