In order to spark interest in students, teachers must feel the initial spark for themselves!
 |
| Retrieved from http://southpaw44.blogspot.com/2015/10/here-is-great-way-to-express-how-i-am.html |
I had the opportunity
to create a spark in classroom teachers this past summer as a co-presenter at
the Alabama Educational Technology Conference (AETC). A colleague of mine,
Abbey Tipton, submitted a proposal titled “Coding in the K-5 Classroom” to
present basic coding and share her classroom experiences. Once the proposal was approved, she asked me to co-present alongside
her because she knows how much I enjoy inspiring others to try new things in
their classrooms and to push teachers to become facilitators. As Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) so boldly
state it “Abandon the lonely post at the front of the room!” (p. 13).
We wanted
our participants to experience the excitement of accomplishing coding because
we knew that would decrease the sense of fear and intimidation that comes with
stepping out of their comfort zones.
This feeling can be described as paralyzing and can directly affect how
we feel about whether or not we are successful with a concept (Brookhouser
& Megnin, 2016). We decided that sharing both unplugged and plugged coding
would help them to see that even if they do not have the resources for certain
technology, that coding could still become a part of their classroom environments. We also wanted to bring a student in to
present with us. We had a few reasons
for asking her to co-present with us.
First, she had been a part of the after school STEM club for girls at her
school. Second, she is an aspiring
artist and would like to work her way into graphic design. Finally, she could bring the student
perspective to the participants in our session.
As our
session filled with around 35 participants, our hearts began to race with the
opportunity to inspire this many teachers to go back to their classrooms and
incorporate technology into at least one lesson. This is the same goal that Brookhouser and
Megnin discuss in their book Code in Every Class: How All Educators Can Teach Programming. (Worth every
penny!) Two educators and a sixth
grader, ready to spark an interest in teachers so they can turn around and “light
within [their] students a steady flame of interest and confidence in technology
and the skills it teaches” (p. 69).
Inspire, we
did! Through our Google Poll at the
beginning of the session, we found out that not one participant had ever
coded. Our student took them through an
unplugged lesson and had them follow her steps to create the perfect eye. She created the work for the slide on her
own. She presented this portion of the
session on her own. Watch the video
below of her accomplishment and try the unplugged lesson for yourself.
Typically, participants are rushing to the next session. To our surprise, many stayed behind to ask questions about purchasing Ozobots; our student's experiences with robotics; Mrs. Tipton’s classroom ideas; and the Digital Literacy and Computer Science Pilot from the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (AMSTI).
To support
the participants outside of the session, we provided them with a resource
sheet to move them forward with their excitement. The resources included coding
apps that are great for elementary classrooms. Estapa, Hutchison, and Nadolny
(2017) report that coding apps “are becoming increasingly recognized as useful
tools for classroom instruction” (p. 25). It is recommended that the apps
follow a use-modify-create progression to support learners at all stages of the
use of the app (2017). Scratch is one of the apps mentioned as an example that
uses that progression (2017). You can
see below that Scratch Jr. is listed as one of our suggested apps.
I feel that it is safe to say that MANY
|
| Retrieved from https://gifer.com/en/Z9pp |
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI think it is awesome that you have experience in coding and working with technology; plus, teaching the material that you have learned to other educators! I wish I were an educator when you had this presentation because I would have loved to join the group! As for the content of your blog, I agree that teachers should show an interest in the topic as well; regardless of the area of the content.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I like that Brookhouser and Mengin, 2016, goal was "for every teacher to modify at least one lesson to include some aspect of computer programming" (p.1). Which I do believe that, as educators, we should incorporate this into our lesson so we can explain how the technology works related to education. So, with the teachers, so interest in coding students will be more enthusiastic about coding, and will become strong thinkers; since that is what coding actually teaches individuals.
Brookhouser, K. & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class: How all educators can teach programming. Irvine, California: EdTechTeam Press
I love the whole layout of your blog post. The way that you incorporated your own personal experience is amazing. As mentioned by Kevin Brookhouser and Ria Megnin (2016), "Our society operates on the myth that adults know everything that matters" (pg. 26). Your blog demolishes that idea, it embodies the perfect idea that children can do so much more than what we believe they can do. Just like the quote states we believe we are perfect and know all the right answers, when in reality its our students that teach us new things everyday. Why wouldn't we explore the opportunity of learning how to code with our students. It could possibly be a learning experience for both of us.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code in every class. Irvine, CA: EdTechTeam Press.
Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI love how unique your take on this chapter is. You make valid points about eliminating fear of failure. I also really liked your unplugged/plugged coding lessons and I think they are great ways to incorporate learning without fear of failure. I feel that there is an important lesson to be learned here aside from specifically how to code. I feel like the lesson is a learning experience in general, for students to learn perseverance. Brookhouser and Megnin (2016) stated, "Even students who don't continue coding after your class will know the value of working on a challenge all the way through and will have achieved grit" (p. 67).
Brookhouser, K., & Mengin, R. (2016). Code in Every Class. S.l.: Edtech Team.
Your blog keeps blowing my mind with the real world information you are sharing. What I mean by this is that you are using your real life experiences using coding in a classroom or educational setting. This is amazing! I love how you break it down and create a personal connection with the people you are trying to reach. I speak from personal experience when I say that your approach to teaching is very engaging. Brookhouser and Megnin state, "Our responsibility is to light within our students a steady flame of interest and confidence in technology and the skills it teaches" (2016, pg. 69). The pictures and feedback you are able to offer from your presentation and the resources are a valuable resource. I have saved the resources only as they will come in handy for future purposes. That you had a student demonstrate what she has learned and how she applied what she learned to a group of people shows the engagement you have sparked with coding and technology. I really liked how you bridge the gap between no technology and technology with lessons plugged in and unplugged. The challenge will always be to engage our audience or students and keeping their interest as we help them become who they want to be in life.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Brookhouser, K., & Megnin, R. (2016). Code In Every Class: How All Educators Can Teach Programming. EdTechTeam Press, CA: Irvine.