Resnick likened learning to code to the ability to write in a language you can read. He is skeptical that our iPad and iPhone wielding children are really “digital natives” (Resnick, 2012). Sure they are great at what he calls “interactive technologies” like gaming and surfing the web, but they are lacking experience or knowledge in creative technologies. “It’s as if they could read, but not write with new technologies. (Resnick, 2012).
Resnick points out that other countries have already jumped on the teaching code bandwagon. Heck Estonia is teaching all their first graders to code in school. A new day has dawned when the Baltics are leading the charge in technology.
Thanks to websites like Resnick’s Scratch website kids can learn code the easy way. No longer does code look like a field of incomplete sentences fenced in by pairs of forward slashes. Scratch makes coding like driving on the Autotopia at Disneyland. There's no chance you can run off the road. Even a code dunce like myself can create a mini cartoon in seconds.
One great point Resnick makes is that coding teaches skills that can be used across the learning curriculum. Designing a game or a Mother’s Day card requires creative and critical thinking and systematic reasoning. Many of the same skills we acquire through Language Arts can be attained in coding. Resnick summaries saying that while not every student who learns to read and write will become a professional writer, nor will every coding student become a programmer. The point is that the skill sets this education provides can be translated to any domain.
Resnick, M. (2012, November). Let’s teach kids to code. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/mitch_resnick_let_s_teach_kids_to_code
As technology becomes a greater influence in our day-to-day lives, I do agree that it is incredibly valuable for students to learn and understand coding. I also agree that it is very important for people to have a greater understanding of the technology they use, beyond the user interface. This promotes the ability to change and shape technology, as opposed to simply interact within its limitations.
ReplyDeleteStudents that are exposed to languages at an earlier age are more likely to be fluent in that language. Coding should be treated no differently. Our careers, education, and day-to-day lives are very much influenced by technology. I agree that it is relevant, more than ever, to educate the youth in technology to better prepare them for the future.