That One Class...

What is that one class that you remember from high school that has been monumental in your success as a grownup and professional?  Was it Algebra?  British Lit?  How about 9th grade Health?  Maybe I could list Driver's Ed (I guess I've drawn from that one a lot:) or even Government (maybe...if I had run for office), but the class I would list as most valuable to me would be typing. Yes, typing. Today it's called keyboarding, but for me it is relevant all day long.  

So what is that class for kids today?  What is relevant today and will definitely be around when our kids are grown? ......................... Did you say "computers" or "electronic devices"?  If you did, you are correct!  But which of our classes is teaching them a practical skill that they probably wouldn't have thought necessary, but for which they will forever be grateful?  If you said coding, you are correct.  Wait, you don't know what coding is? Dictionary.com defines coding as "Instructions written by a programmer in a programming language are often called source code."  Click here for a quick video from DK Books about coding.  If all of our kids are holding a device at birth, it makes sense that they should have the skills to manipulate the technology. Maybe being empowered with that knowledge would take away some of the mystery and empower students with the confidence to set it aside and think for themselves! (I can dream, can't I?)  According to Code.org, only 1 in 4 schools is teaching coding, even though computer science is the number one job source today, 71% of STEM jobs are in computing, and computer science majors can make up to 40% more than a college graduate.

I have to admit, even though I had heard of coding, the "Hour of Code", coding in the MakeyMakey, I dragged my feet about learning what it was.  I am not, I say NOT, a programmer.  My brain doesn't work that way.  However, there are plenty of people in the library field who are adamantly declaring coding should be taught in every school.  Vicki Davis,  (@coolcatteacher) former VSTE keynote speaker, provides LOADS of links in her Edutopia article, 15+ Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without a Computer).  Time Magazine posted 2 years ago Why Basic Coding Should Be a Mandatory Class in Junior High.  Kahn Academy has it's own Hour of Code.  You can even purchase a 4-year Computer Science curriculum for high school from CodeHS.com.  

So what am I going to do now?  I'm going to eat dinner and watch Jeopardy!  Then I guess I'm going to bite the bullet and try out Code Academy where they say I can learn to code interactively, for free.  And maybe I'll play around with one of the coding apps Vicki Davis recommended for 5 year olds...

P.S. If you're still not sure, here's a podcast episode from Vicki Davis called 7 Tips for Teachers Who Have No Interest In Coding. HA!