This week’s topics of conversation were scary to me, as I am
just starting to feel comfortable with technology. When I heard coding, I was immediately out of
my comfort zone. As I teach in an
elementary school, I didn’t think I would read anything relevant when it comes
to the topic. However, the Huffington
Post article we read was interesting because it talked about all of the ways to
introduce young children to coding. The
article had examples of problem solving games and apps that you can use with
children as young as preschool age. Some
of the apps the article suggested for younger children were Scratch Jr, Kodable,
Sphero 2.0, and Hopscotch. Code.org was
a suggested website to use that has kid friendly tutorials by familiar names
such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.
Something I recently learned about from a friend is a program that
Capital One does where coders work with children in Henrico County to learn
code. They give them assignments and
even offer free computers to those who are interested. The program starts as early as elementary
school. I am no longer skeptical when
it comes to coding and young children because I think it would be an engaging
way to teach problem solving, which is applicable across every content area and
something children can sometimes struggle with.
Another thing I definitely learned more about was the use of
robots. Musio is a robot created
originally to teach kids in Asia how to speak English. What a great idea! Students who are ELL could definitely benefit
from this kind of one-on-one tutor! I
also teach students with IEPs and I think the idea of having robots as a
one-on-one teaching assistant could be helpful in certain instances. I don’t think we should ever replace the
authenticity of having a teacher or aide help those who need it, but I think
having a robot to supplement teaching academic or behavioral strategies could
be advantageous to students who need constant one on one. I found MEDi very interesting, as it is a
robot created to accompany kids in doctor’s offices. Once again, engaging and distracting to
children who need extra love and fun.
3-D printing is something I also struggled with at the
elementary level. I still think this is
a technology that is much more geared toward older students, as most elementary
students are not quite ready to create their own projects. However, the SLJ article had a great example
of high school students who created replicas of artifacts from Ancient Rome and
shared them with 3rd graders over Skype. I do think that because of school budget
issues, 3-D printing will not be something that will be readily available any
time soon. I am interested in seeing one
in action on campus later this month.
Sources:
Tahnk, J. (2015).
Huffington Post: Cool products for
teaching kids how to code. Retrieved
July 9, 2015 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeana-lee-tahnk/neat-products-for-teachin_b_7138030.html
Sansing, C. (2015).
School Library Journal: 3D
printing, worth the hype? Retrieved
July 9, 2015 from http://www.slj.com/2015/05/technology/3-d-printing-worth-the-hype-the-maker-issue/#_
Hardawar, D. (2015). Engagdet.com: Adorable AI powered robot Musio just wants to be your friend. Retrieved July 9, 2015 from http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/01/musio-ai-robot/
Yam, K. (2015).
Huffington Post: Cheery robot helps
kids with pain during hospital procedures.
Retrieved July 9, 2015 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/14/medi-robot_n_7057168.html
I had so much more fun doing the 3D designing than I thought I would. And since I created my object, I keep thinking of new ways I want to use it. I'm with you on the being way out of my comfort zone. I was surprised at how easy it was.
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