After watching the videos and reading the articles in our lesson this week, I decided I was pretty interested in the 3D printing. Our school has a 3D printer and has printed some pretty cool things on it. We have a student, teacher, and support staff of the month, and the trophy they keep for the month was printed on a 3D printer. I spent my time exploring Tinkercad. I thought the tutorial was very beneficial. It took me step by step through the process of creating an object. I attempted to create a bear, but it didn’t turn out too well. It would definitely be something I would have to spend an abundance of time on to get the hang of it. After reading Jennifer Snelling’s article in the School Library Journal, it made me realize that I don’t have to be great at the printing and coding. I just need to understand the concept. Chris Stephenson, Google’s head of computer science education, says, “We think of coding not as a skill but as a literacy. We don’t teach reading because we believe everyone will write War and Peace,” she says. “And we don’t teach computer science with the belief that everyone will be a computer scientist. We teach it because it is increasingly a skill we need to operate in and understand the world around us.” (Snelling, 2018)

In “Computer Coding and Literacy: Librarians Leading the Connection” Mary Moan discusses how most people believe that libraries are a place for books and magazines and don’t need to be involved in computer sciences, but in fact, “…proponents see that computer coding helps develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and these are at the core of our professional mission: to help people understand how to solve problems using information effectively, which are skills that support people as lifelong learners.” (Moan, 2016) Librarians should certainly work to have our kids find a love for reading and books, but they should also be open to exposing kids to all things technological. If kids don’t stay up to date on all of the tools they have to use, they will be left behind.

Snelling, J. (2018, April 3). Don’t stress about coding: Focus shifts to teaching problem solving not computer skills. School Library Journal. Retrieved, July 24, 2021 from https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=dont-stress-coding-focus-shifts-teaching-problem-solving-not-computer-skill

Moen, M. (2016, September 30). Computer coding and literacy: Librarians lead the connection. International Literacy Association. Retrieved July 24, 2021 from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-now/2016/09/30/computer-coding-and-literacy-librarians-lead-the-connection