Several times over the last two years, I’ve thought that I really need to learn how to use coding both in the library and to collaborate with classroom teachers. This assignment forced the issue, for which I am very grateful! Working in a STEAM school makes this seem particularly relevant, and I can certainly imagine walking classes through this either in the library or remotely if we end up returning to school virtually. Mary Moen’s article “Computer Coding and Literacy: Librarians Lead the Connection” perfectly states what I believe is the strongest argument in favor of teaching coding to our students in the library: “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” (Moen, 2016).

I chose to Animate a Name with my Hour of Code, as I thought this would appeal to the majority of my students and is suggested for second grade on up. It was both easier and harder than I had assumed. It was easier than I thought it would be, as I had a sort of mental block on computer coding, assuming it was going to require more tech savvy than I possess and harder because the start up video displays a lovely result that was far fancier than what I came up with in my hour of creating. The tutorials were excellent and the initial how-to video set me up for success, and I felt victorious when I was able to make the letters in my name rotate, change color, and produce sounds ranging from trumpets to reggae music though it took much longer than I anticipated to do so! I also could not for the life of me figure out to share it here on my blog post, as when I pasted the share link in my browser, I get a blank square under my green flag, so I’ll be going back to figure that out.

Eli Sheldon’s article “Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum” further bolsters the idea that students can benefit from learning to code. His key point is that students can put four aspects of computer coding to use as thinking skills that benefit all learning. He also notes that “solving problems as a computational thinker also requires some specific attitudes toward problem solving in general” (Sheldon, 2017). Reading that sentence was an epiphany for me. All the talk in the world about creating 21st century learners can be boiled down to that point. I had a coach once tell me that if something doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. That is what we can accomplish by challenging our students with code – change!

References:

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

Sheldon, E. (2017, March 30). Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/computational-thinking-across-the-curriculum-eli-sheldon