Educational Technology News

Experienced programmers frequently say that being able to problem-solve effectively is one of the most important skills they use in their work. In programming as in life, problems don’t usually have magical solutions. Solving a coding problem often means looking at the problem from multiple perspectives, breaking it down into its constituent parts, and then considering (and maybe trying) several approaches to addressing it.
In short, being a good problem-solver requires critical thinking.

Here are three major and far-reaching reasons why building coding skills in students should start as early as possible

Long before COVID and the switch to all things virtual, our students were avid consumers of technology, particularly when it comes to online apps and social media. Students are already interacting with coding daily, so they should be learning how to create it.

English language literacy and coding literacy share some overlap—and the ability to work with data and computer systems will prove pivotal for success

Coding and robotics can be just as engaging when students learn from home--all it takes is a little planning and some creativity

"When coding shows up in the curriculum of a liberal arts program, its primary purpose is usually pretty obvious: help students get hired. These efforts are often described as attempts to “help non-computer science students build the tech skills required for today’s jobs” so that they are ultimately “more employable.”

A survey of students participating in hackathons found that most of them learn new concepts and gain skills that they later use in their computer science work.

Coding educator Christina Lewis writes that the skills required to master coding programs, like problem-solving and creativity, will always be in high demand. 

"How many times have you thought about giving up on your dream of becoming a web developer because of things you've heard? Maybe it concerns you about not having a university degree. Maybe you’re worried about not being able to get a job. Or maybe you just don’t think you’re smart enough to work beside those "genius" developers.

As a software team lead and mentor to junior developers, I often get asked certain questions and hear certain statements about being a developer that are, well, blatantly not true. So let's talk through some of the common myths of learning to code."

The Panasonic Foundation and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation are collaborating to launch four academies to teach code as a second language to middle school and high school students.

"Do you want to teach coding but not sure how to start? Here are a bunch of helpful ideas"

In this tutorial I discuss how to deploy pre-trained deep neural networks to the Raspberry Pi using OpenCV and Python.

Students don’t always need to jump right into a programming tutorial to develop an interest in coding. Sometimes, all it takes is an engaging book."

This article explores the importance, benefits, and advantages of an early introduction to coding for kids and tech education. It also offers some advice on balancing screen time for the family.

Here’s how one Washington district has made coding a priority, even during the pandemic shutdown

At the pre-K level, for instance, the method can help students understand the structure of stories as they learn to craft their own.

"Through an online coding platform and robotics competitions, this district is teaching future-ready job and life skills to a student body that wouldn’t otherwise have access to these advanced opportunities"

"WHETHER AS PART OF AN existing classroom curriculum or as an extracurricular assignment during school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, parents are increasingly turning to online coding programs for their kids. From the introductory one-off coding class to the more advanced programming languages, here's where to find the best coding programs for kids."

After 10 years of investment, it’s time to re-evaluate and chart a new way forward.

The simple, low-cost computers lower the barrier to entry for hands-on activities teaching students how computers operate, ed tech experts say.

"We are now living in a technological world and the future of work is this: Tech workers will no longer solely work in the tech industry. Every field will hire employees with strong digital skills, and this trend will only continue to accelerate."

Code depends on English—for reasons that are entirely unnecessary at a technical level.

"The coding bootcamp market has seen major swings. Some of the largest programs have shut their doors in the past couple of years. Others have latched on to university brands and the students they attract"

"I may have caused some tension on Saturday when I sent this tweet. In no way was I suggesting we shouldn’t teach writing (or any other subject)."

Learn more about how to get started teaching students to code—even if you have no prior experience.