This week, I got to present about coding to the class. Coding is something that I find super beneficial for my students in the classroom to teach them problem solving skills and being able to do some story telling in a creative and visual way. Many of my students get ahold of the skills quickly and are able to explain their thought process when they were creating their code.
During my research I found out there was a lot of women involved with the creation of coding. On top of all of that, the positives and negatives that stood out to me was that learning how to code allows for a different communication skill for the students. It also opens up so many different STEAM projects in class. My first experience with coding was during my drafting class when we were tasked with creating a fairy house and got to 3-D print the house out before painting.
During my internship in my undergrad, I was paired with the school’s tech coach, meaning I had to do a lot of work with the technology in the school. I got to go into rooms and teach students all about the tech. Many things I used during this time was three of the apps/tech that I talked about during my presentation. The three were Osmo, Ozobot, and Sphero. These apps allow for all types of students to be able to use. Another tool I recently came across (after doing my presentation) was the Learning Resource: “Code and Go Robot Mouse Activity Set“. Osmos and the Learning Resource tools stood out to me to be some of the best for the younger students as it makes it super easy to understand how to use, and it is different each time for the students.
The question: coding should only be taught by techies. The answer: anyone can be a techie, but they need to be willing to learn and adapt. I feel, as someone who feels generally comfortable with tech, that many educators do not want to use tech or they don’t feel comfortable. Another thing that educators may not feel is willing to learn something new, AKA using tech in the classroom to teach a new skill. I think many need to be open minded, and be willing to attempt using things, like coding, to teach new skills that can be backed up by the “regular” teaching methods we are used to.
Kelsey Potoma 
I really enjoyed your presentation this week! I agree that anyone can be a techie – you just have to be willing to learn and try new things. I know that COVID taught us this for sure. I never considered myself to be a “techie” yet here I am 🙂
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