Coding

Ending with Evaluating

/ lymanmar / 2 Comments

Website Evaluation

The major ideas shared within the resources of this week’s module were actually pretty familiar to me. As an eighth grade Language Arts teacher, evaluating online sources is something that I work on each year with my students. While some of the information in this week’s resources was a little bit more in-depth than I go with my students, the same message was there.

When going over website evaluation with my students, I work my school’s library media specialist to introduce the specific categories of evaluation to focus on. And, while those categories can vary somewhat from source to source or librarian to librarian, providing students with specific areas to look at helps them to be critical of what they read.

Ultimately, the resources in this week’s module did not make me think differently about web searches or use of online information. But, this module did confirm the importance of exposing my students to website evaluation. The fact that website evaluation is a concept explored and further developed in a graduate level college course confirms its significance. It’s definitely something students should be exposed to early on in their academic careers and should continue to develop and use in the years following.

Additional Resources

If I were to add to this collection of website evaluation resources, I would want to create an evaluation tool/form that could be used by students. Putting together all the most important information from the current resources into one place would give students one central reference for all of this useful information. This one central reference would also be formatted in a way that students could use and organize their own website evaluation notes.

While introducing website evaluation to my students, I have used a variety of different tools to help them organize their website evaluation notes but have yet to find/create a tool that is efficient yet user friendly. Having a tool that is easy to use but also thorough will encourage students to evaluate the websites they use.

Final Thoughts

Handwritten "Hello, Goodbye"
“Hello, Goodbye.” by OFU is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Over the past seven weeks of this course, I was most impacted by the content in our fourth module about the basics of a web page and coding. This information was really totally new to me but has stuck with me the most. Digital accessibility is also a concept that was completely unfamiliar to me. Both of these topics built off some basic understanding I had and took my knowledge and understanding to the next level.

If I were to take this course again, I would want the section about coding to be expanded upon. Coding is such an important yet complex topic. I think it warrants more time because it is the foundation needed for all of the other topics studied. Without coding, we would be unable to study all of the other topics.

In the future, I can really see putting a number of the skills developed during this course to use. When it comes to digital accessibility and mobility, I have already began to rethink my classroom web page and what I can do to make it more accessible for all its potential users on a variety of different devices. My understanding of blogging and website evaluation has been enhanced, and my use within my classroom can now be elevated. And, my exposure to coding has shown me that it’s not such a scary topic at all and has given me the opportunity to build upon my newfound understanding.

Overall, I really enjoyed this course and studying the wide variety of topics that we did. Being exposed to new experiences and applications in addition to simply new information definitely helped to create a lasting impact.

Calling All Coders

/ lymanmar / 1 Comment

What Exactly is Coding?

From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc

Coding in Schools

Popular opinion is clear: we need coding in our schools. It is seen as an essential skill for 21st century learners according to Marianne Stenger from InformED. Stenger also mentions that it allows students to gain a better understanding of technology and its impact on our world. Matthew Lynch from The Edvocate suggests that students will develop an appreciation for what can be built with technology after being introduced to coding.

Learning Resources narrows down the importance of coding to five reasons:

  1. Another language
  2. Fosters creativity
  3. Helps with math skills
  4. Improves writing academic performance
  5. Helps create confident problem solvers

While there is overwhelming support for teaching coding in schools, there is some resistance. Ben Tarnoff from The Guardian suggests there isn’t actually a need for more coders. Tarnoff also mentions that this increase in coders would force wages down for this profession and would create a source of cheap labor for the tech industry. Joe Morgan from Slate, a developer himself, does not support the teaching of coding. Instead, Morgan encourages teaching problem solving skills, celebrating creativity, and embracing curiosity. Although I can see Tarnoff and Morgan’s points, their thinking is in the minority.

Resources for Teachers

Take a look at a small sample of the many resources available to help get started introducing coding into your classroom!

No Coding For Me 😦

Personally, I have never had any formal coding instruction, and this week’s assignment was my first time ever experimenting with code. I really wish I would have had some exposure to coding prior to now because it really does feel like a whole new, unfamiliar world to me. But, by taking advantage of some of the resources above, I hope to change that!

HTML Remix

/ lymanmar / 2 Comments
Close up of fingers typing on keyboard.
“I’m Typing” by pirate johnny is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Take a look at my remixed back-to-school postcard!

I definitely started off this week’s reading feeling a little intimidated. As much as I am interested in technology, the coding/back end of the technology world is very familiar to me. I have never had any experience coding myself. But, I have heard others (my husband and some of my students) talk about coding, so I did eventually recognize some of the terms I ended up reading about.

Playing around with coding via Thimble was definitely helpful. The tutorial Thimble included provided a nice safety net. I definitely felt comfortable taking risks because that tutorial was there along with the undo button.

Because I am a Language Arts teacher, I can’t really see myself incorporating coding or Mozilla Thimble into my classroom. I do think that being familiar with coding and Mozilla Thimble will allow me to better connect with my students though. I feel like now I might be able to hold a conversation with some students who are interested in coding as opposed to being unable to contribute because I was so unfamiliar with the concept.

I definitely think this was a valuable experience!