Big Idea:

Pros to learning how to code:

-Activate your brain, like learning a new skill or new language

-Activate your mind, being creative with a new tool, finding new questions to ask

Cons to learning how to code:

-We don't want to encourage too much screen time, encourage creativity in nature

-Learning how to code is great, but how does it relate to AI (stay tuned for module 12:)

I might have a different perspective on this because I have a lot of background in scripting and some background in Python.

Pros:

-With programming having evolved in the past few decades, languages are now much easier to learn. Python in particular is very easy to learn.

-Students are able to be more creative.

-Students are able to better prepare for their future and future careers.

-Students increase their digital literacy.

Cons:

-Increased screen time

-Increased dependency on technology

Arguments:

• Coding builds creativity and original thought.

• Coding increases logical thinking and problem solving.

• Many say early introduction can spare later career changes and increase marketability. (However, the future is a mystery to some degree.)

Cautions:

• Time spent on coding/programming could be spent on other more important transferrable skills. (See this article from Slate.)

• Of course, screen time can increase when we ideally want to see balance in time spent on technology.

1. The digital world isn’t going anywhere and students need to be prepared for the world. Starting young will only help them.

2. It helps build students' computational thinking and problem solving skills. Whether or not students use the coding they learn, as adults, it will help them to learn how to solve problems, even getting creative to do so.

Some concerns for students learning coding

1. Lack of teachers. Not all schools have teachers qualified to teach coding. Technology changes fast and it can be hard for adults to keep up and be informed enough to teach the next generation.

2. Lower income families may not have access to computers or the internet and may not have the support that they need to accurately learn it.

1. Coding teaches you how to think about problems in ways that improve problem solving.

2. It gets a lot of kids interested in learning, because it is something they are interested in.

Concerns:

3. Teaching to teachers to teach coding is hard.

4. Not everyone needs to go into a job into technology. There is now and will continue to be a skills worker shortage if we encourage everyone to go into a job in technology development.

Coding can also help with future careers. Even if a job doesn't require coding, it can be very attractive on a resume.

Coding is hard! I know this is subjective, but it takes a certain set of logical and algorithmic skills that not everyone has.

Coding is also a social construct as a career. You have a team of people, each person with their own little piece so collaboration is key.

1. It allows them to showcase their talents and creativity.

2. It reinforces other subjects by helping students apply what they've learned in math, science, and ELA.

Concerns:

1. It can be frustrating. Students may feel discouraged when something doesn't work on the first try.

2. Not every student enjoys coding. Some may prefer activities that don't require them to focus on how something works.

Creative Thinking—A more open-ended and exploratory process for arriving at an outcome

Resilience—Students will likely be more motivated to muscle through failure given their investment and excitement in their own creation

Cons:

Instructional Expertise Needed—The "measuring a floppy disk" non-example; highly qualified people are needed, and superficial teaching could lead to negative outcomes. Especially if we will be relying on corporations like Google to jump-start these programs, they will need to be vetted and monitored by knowledgable staff.

Lost Instructional Time in Core Subjects

1. Promotes computational thinking skills which transfer over to other subjects / areas of life: solving problems creatively with specific resources and not focusing on what is not available.

2. Promotes articulation of thoughts through written communication: giving specific, detailed instructions to produce a e-signed result

Concerns:

1. May take away from teaching time in core academic subjects.

2. Should be done as an extension or supplement for other classes as well. Should not be taught as a pure replacement for other tactile activities.