#ALedchat is a weekly chat on Twitter about education topics. It is held each Monday from 9-10pmCST. While the discussion on #ALedchat continues on Twitter well beyond our weekly one-hour chat session, this platform affords us the opportunity to extend, expand and share the conversation with an even greater audience. Educators from across the state of Alabama, and the world, can come here to find encouragement, support, resources, professional growth opportunities and advice, while providing the same to their colleagues.
Blake Harvard, AP Psych teacher and blogger, James Clemens HS, Madison, AL
https://t.co/EJp11sZu1q
Not sure I'll have anything to add to this topic...I'll be watching, though.
#aledchat
Blake Harvard, AP Psych teacher and blogger, James Clemens HS, Madison, AL
https://t.co/EJp11sZu1q
Not sure I'll have anything to add to this topic...I'll be watching, though.
#aledchat
A1: We have participated in the Hour of Code in the past but have had a new focus on it this year. Schools planned activities to increase awareness of what code is and to engage students more in the process. We have also increased exposure through Computer Science. #ALedchat
A1: We introduce all K-6 students to https://t.co/0rRu0wq7T1 early this year; modeled "unplugged" activities with Teachers, Using ozobots, Beebots, Dash & Dot, and Makey Makey to bring code to life! #ALedchat
A1: We introduce all K-6 students to https://t.co/0rRu0wq7T1 early this year; modeled "unplugged" activities with Teachers, Using ozobots, Beebots, Dash & Dot, and Makey Makey to bring code to life! #ALedchat
A2: Coding can greatly impact academic performance in math and science. Besides the engagement piece, I would say it encourages students to apply math and science concepts to real-world problems as well as makes learning fun! #ALedchat
A2: With coding students get immediate feedback when they are trying to solve a problem; they are more willing to keep digging for the right answer to make things work! They become computational thinkers #ALedchat
A1: In @ocsjackets we offer AP CS, CS Principles, CS Discoveries in HS, App Inventor with coding in other electives in MS. Coding in engineering, technology, and maker classes K-6. #ALedchat
A1: In @ocsjackets we offer AP CS, CS Principles, CS Discoveries in HS, App Inventor with coding in other electives in MS. Coding in engineering, technology, and maker classes K-6. #ALedchat
A2: Increasing coding can give students a tangible purpose/application for the math/science they are learning. But I am not sure that students struggling in math/science would enjoy coding as that is an application of what they struggle in
#aledchat
A3: Kids who are coding are planning and thinking through the learning process which is an essential writing skill. They also often create stories as they code. Writing and coding can go hand in hand. #ALedchat
A2: Coding prefaced with building computational thinking skills teaches Ss how to problem solve across the curriculum. Specifically helps develop math and science practices. Connections with science cross cutting concepts and math modeling as well #ALedchat
Maybe it is so different than traditional methods that they can build skills without the insecurity of struggles they have experienced in the past?? Build confidence?? Just thinking out loud. #ALedchat
A2: Increasing coding can give students a tangible purpose/application for the math/science they are learning. But I am not sure that students struggling in math/science would enjoy coding as that is an application of what they struggle in
#aledchat
A3: I do not think coding can improve writing skills. Coding is a very specific form of writing that is unique to coding so I think that any transfer to writing for English (and even other areas of science) would be limited.
#aledchat
A3) I disagree here, I feel these skills are right brain left brain specific (although don't ask me to label which is which) but then again i admittedly have never tried coding so perhaps I can be educated here on how this isn't necessarily true? #ALedchat
A2: Coding makes you think differently about problem solving. Where in mathematics one may try to solve a problem, coding is more broad. A new why of thinking to problem solve. #aledchat
I think the planning process for coding can be similar to the writing process. You know how you want the story to end and you build the story or code to make it happen. Maybe? #ALedchat
A3) I disagree here, I feel these skills are right brain left brain specific (although don't ask me to label which is which) but then again i admittedly have never tried coding so perhaps I can be educated here on how this isn't necessarily true? #ALedchat
A3: Great Example of coding and ELA going together - We use a PLTW module called Animated Storytelling - teaches sequencing, problem solving, character development, settings, events and narratives #ALedchat
A4: I would say that students who are thinking and problem solving at higher levels would naturally be more focused and organized. Organization is essential to effective code, so I would think these would be increased. #ALedchat
A5: Absolutley! Focus and organization are key in getting results in coding. Our students are extremely motivated and competitive in the coding world. #stepitup#hourofcode#motivation#aledchat
I'll be onsite in Mountain Brook next week for our BrightBytes meeting, would be great to learn more about this as I did not see the connection of these two subjects prior! #Aledchat
A3: Great Example of coding and ELA going together - We use a PLTW module called Animated Storytelling - teaches sequencing, problem solving, character development, settings, events and narratives #ALedchat
A4: I think coding definitely takes focus and attention to details as well as organization- had a teacher discussing lack of punctuation in writing but in coding the syntax has to be exact! #ALedchat
A5: When I have observed kids coding, they are constantly having to deal with the concept of failing forward. They have to try and retry many ideas to reach a desired outcome. Resilience is definitely part of the coding process. #ALedchat
Q5: I have seen many students want to quit or just give their minimum effort when something doesn't come easy; when they are working on coding they keep pressing forward - resilience at it's best! #ALedchat
A6: Since coding is equivalent to learning a new language, I would say that coding increases both oral and written language and communication. Students have to plan, process and discuss thinking. They have to think about clarity and being precise. #ALedchat
A6: It’s important for partners or groups to be able to effectively communication throughout the process of developing a plan and making revisions until they reach their goal. #communicate#hourofcode#aledchat
FA: Although not all jobs in today's world require coding, they all require coding skills. Collaboration, cooperation, engagement, attention to task & detail are not job specific. Coding helps us prepare students in so many ways and is essential in schools! #ALedchat
