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Educational Coding :My Own Experience

 Coding, its place in Education….

Through my years of teaching, I have seen technology become an important piece in education not only as a tool but also as a way to engage with students. It becomes another form of literacy that our students need to master so they are prepared for the outside world and become valuable members of the workforce. Thus, one of my reasons for wanting to acquire a technology endorsement, which I am currently working on now at Dominican University 

Image Source: Google


As I pursue a technology endorsement to help further my knowledge and become a valuable asset to my department and district, I learned through the class EDU 774 that coding isn’t just something to be left to programmers to used in the business sector but can be used tool teach valuable skills that apply across content areas and provide them with important life skills. For example,  problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork to name a few. 


Impact on My Teaching….. 

Before taking this course I knew very little about coding and was unaware of the ways to incorporate it into lessons into art and for younger children. After taking EDU 774, I am now familiar with some cool tools and programs that will allow me to connect coding basics with basics of art education.  EDU 774 has educated me on the benefits our students recieve learning about coding, and that by exposing my students to it, I help them become well rounded individuals and help them cultivate many passions. 


Coding and Art easily go hand in hand because many of the skills needed for coding are taught in the art room. My plan going forward is that I want to create lessons and learning opportunities (games and code generative art) for my students to explore basic coding while still connecting them to the creation of art;  because at the core of it, both art and coding contain the same set of skills: problem-solving and design. 


Cool Tools …. 

During my exploration in EDU 774, I was introduced to some cool tools that I found could be useful in incorporating coding/programming into my art room. The first one being Artie 3,000 and Artie Max. 

Image Source: Google. 


This cool little robot bridges both computer science and art in a fun and interactive way that allows students to explore,  grow, and develop a passion in both fields. As an art teacher, I like how it is a tool that is designed to incorporate art instead of just taking a tool and “trying” to make it fit  or to adapt something designed for core curriculum to fit into the art curriculum. Another great feature is that it teaches multiple coding languages and provides activity cards to help get students started. 


The second tool was a program I was introduced to called Scratch.  This program/website is a block based visual programming language that is targeted at children as an educational tool to learn computer programming. 


Image Source: Art Education University 


What I like about Scratch is that I can use it both as a tool for myself to provide engaging learning opportunities for my students as well as a learning tool for them not only to learn art concepts but basics of coding. I like how it is easy for kids to start to learn how to code. The color coded sections help students understand different blocks of code. Also, I like how students/users can test the code to see if it works properly. 


Biggest Takeaway…. 

Image Source: Google 


The biggest positive take-away is that we shouldn’t be afraid of trying something new, and that we can find ways to have technology enhance and add engagement to learning and help them acquire skills they need for outside of school. Also, while trying something new can be scary, the more we practice, the more fluent and comfortable we become with new technology. We also need to realize that we don’t know everything.. We should not be afraid to research and learn from others. As teachers and future technology leaders, we need to share our knowledge. We are able to not only help our own classes succeed with the utilization of technology but help other educators learn how to do the same by sharing our knowledge.  


References: 

Amazon.com: Educational Insights Artie 3000 the coding & drawing robot ... (n.d.-a). https://www.amazon.com/Educational-Insights-Artie-Coding-Robot/dp/B07MG8GBCX

Amazon.com: Educational insights Artie Max the coding & drawing robot ... (n.d.-b). https://www.amazon.com/Educational-Insights-Artie-Coding-Drawing/dp/B0977QLC14

Artie 3000, the programmable drawing robot. kwww.amightygirl.com. (n.d.). https://www.amightygirl.com/artie-3000

"code is art that does something programming coding web ... - redbubble. (n.d.-d). https://www.redbubble.com/i/poster/Code-Is-Art-That-Does-Something-Programming-Coding-web-development-jokes-by-ENNASSIRIPD/115266996.LVTDI

dzm1try. (n.d.). Key takeaway icon. Clipart image isolated on white background. iStock. https://www.istockphoto.com/vector/key-takeaway-icon-gm1352053519-427592383

Imagine, program, share. Scratch. (n.d.). https://scratch.mit.edu/

An introduction to coding in the Art Room. (n.d.-c). https://theartofeducation.edu/2016/01/an-introduction-to-coding-in-the-art-room/
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