Ms. Ufuk Yagci - Educational Technology Coordinator
Why All Students Should Learn How to Code
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Technology Corner
Maybe you are wondering why I stated that all students should learn to code. Coding, which is the new term for programming, is not needed to fulfill the shortage of skilled programmers but it supports students in their other subjects by improving their skills for critical thinking, perseverance and problem-solving. In addition, students often feel empowered when they can create digital media and share it with others instead of just being consumers of digital media.
Starting back in 2003, Mitch Resnick (2013) and his team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) created Scratch, a block-based coding tool that is engaging and educational for students. Resnic explained the importance of the skills that coding provides to the young students in his TEd Talk. He compared coding with language. "When you become fluent with reading and writing it is not something that you are doing just to become a professional writer. Very few people become professional writers. But it's useful for everyone to read and write. Most people will not grow up to become professional computer scientists or programmers, but those skills of thinking creatively, analytically, reasoning systematically, working collaboratively are the skills when you develop and when you code."
After more than 11 million students used Scratch, the team discovered that students learned far more than coding. So what do students learn besides how to code? According to Resnick (2013), students learn:
-Math concepts such as variables and conditions
-Logic such as sequencing, as well as cause and effect
-Techniques for solving problems
-Project design, such as the importance of breaking down big ideas to specific tasks
-Benefits of collaboration and techniques for communicating ideas
-Ability to take criticism as well as identify and fix errors
-Perseverance in the face of difficulty
This year all middle school students were involved in various coding activities. It is now time for us to celebrate these achievements and I am so proud in sharing them with you.
In the middle school, we introduce coding in Grade 6 where students design their own characters and design greeting cards and digital stories by animating these characters through coding in Scratch. Coding also helps one express their ideas and feelings in their personal life. When I introduced the activity of creating greeting cards with coding with Grade 6's, I was amazed with the number of Mother's Day cards students created in the month of February. They used every possible animation and effect to express their love to their mothers.