In 1982, 15 Vic20 computers were brought to my elementary library, and my class learned how to program in Basic. We learned how to use the program Turtle to move a little turtle icon around the screen, drawing pictures. We heard rumours that you could input this program into a turtle robot and drive it around the room, but our district didn't buy that.
We worked in pairs because there weren't enough computers. We loved it. It was a social experience as well as a technological one. A month later, they packed up the computers and moved them to the next school.
Later, my friend got a Commodore 64. In those days, you could buy magazines filled with incomprehensible code. If you typed it in all night, and didn't make any mistakes, you would have a game where you would drive a little lawnmower around the screen. We thought it was so cool. This experience didn't teach us any computational thinking because programs were written in assembly language. It was the social aspect of it that we liked.
Fast forward to the 2020s, and kids still love to play with code. It is still the social aspects of it that they like. Kids will do sleepovers to code MineCraft worlds. Kids will bring in their latest mash-up videos to share. Kids will show off their Scratch creations. They help each other, peer into other programmers' code, or watch tutorials. It is the social aspect that drives them still. Yasmin B. Kafai writes about creating community around coded creations. It is an important part of any school coding experience if you want the kids to take what they learn and run with it.
The hour of code is coming on December 12. It is a great opportunity to introduce the joy of coding in a social setting to your students. I like to get my grade 5s to partner with their Kindie buddies and do unplugged coding. https://code.org/curriculum/unplugged . This is a great way to go because the big kids are the experts and don't get bogged down goofing on the computers. It is pure fun and introduces computational thinking in a social environment. Sometimes we move on to Code.org lessons for the non-reader. Sometimes the big buddies bring in games that they have made to share. Sometimes we program our micro:bits to play Rock Paper Scissors with the buddies,
I make copies of coding unplugged for all the teachers and the whole school gets into it. I direct teachers to other resources, mentor peers, or offer to teach a microbit class. Fun.
Question:
How can you create a culture of participation and sharing around the digital arts?
What role does the library play in giving students a platform for sharing their work, and what liabilities does that create for the teacher librarian?
Kafai, Y. B. (2016). From computational thinking to computational participation in K--12 education. Communications of the ACM, 59(8), 26-27.
Hi Rupert,
ReplyDeleteComplicated question. With technology as you know, one has to always be checking what learners are doing. If you're smart about the use of technology, it can be a great asset, but asking for permission for them to share their work woulfd be a good rule of thumb.
Madeleine
(Stephen)
ReplyDeleteHello,
I loved that story about the old computers. I mentioned my old PC-10 in my post. What fun.
Your observations about the social aspect of these activities is insightful. I can't think of a better way than what you are already doing pairing bigs with the littles. What's more, I think this generation is much more fluent in the language of sharing than their teachers are/were. I bet more than a few of your students have YouTube accounts where they share said Minecraft creations, game hacks, speed runs, or whatever else the kids are into these days.
Thanks for the post and the march down memory lane.
Glen
ReplyDeleteHi Rupert,
Great post! Really enjoyed reading about the computer history at your school. It looks like you already do an amazing job with instilling a culture of sharing and participation in the digital arts. If you keep promoting and sharing your knowledge to staff and students participation should be solid. I will have to plan for the day of Code as it is coming up. How difficult is it to teach the use if Micro-bits?
Miocrobits are super easy to program. There is an emulator that you can use before you go out and buy them. Kids Code Jeunesse will send an instructor to work with your kids, or do it online. They give you 10 microbits to use if they come. a good deal
ReplyDelete