via codingdojo.com
For the last 7 weeks, I have been taking a class, Coding for Educators. I have little, if any programming experience, but I do like working with computers and new technology and was excited to learn this aspect of it. We focused on Scratch, block coding and Python, a 'friendly' coding language.
One of the important things I learned in this class was how to use Scratch. I feel pretty confident using Scratch and teaching it to my students. I got some good ideas from others in the class on different ways to incorporate Scratch into my ELA lessons. For fiction text, the students can create stories based on our weekly reading passages or they can create scenes based on their own original works. For non-fiction works and biographies, they can create timelines or presentations depicting historical figures or events. It is a great way for students to express their creativity.
Another important thing I learned was that I can teach programming to my students. I do not have to wait for the computer teacher to teach my students a specific program or app. I can teach my students the basics and have them experiment and troubleshoot. I can be there to assist and help them. Per the articles we read and the videos we viewed, it is recommended that students be encouraged to code and problem-solve; and, it's okay not to always have the answer. I was surprised when I was looking for help with my assignments to find videos created by kids. When working with Python, I found videos recorded by elementary age children explaining how they created their video game or project. It is impressive!
My next step is to learn more about Python. I was not familiar with it at all and don't feel as confident to use it with my students. I have shown them what I learned and shared my projects with them, so that they have been exposed, but I would like to become more knowledgeable in it. Some ways I can become more familiar with Python is by jumping in and trying to build on what I have learned. I can find a learning community on Twitter or a Python coding blog to follow. I can take a workshop on Python or maybe another class.
I enjoyed the class and appreciate all I learned and can't wait to see what my students create with Scratch!
