Superior Tech 4 Teachers Conference ST4T 2016

Popular quotes among 21st century teachers are “We are training kids for jobs that haven’t even been invented yet” and “We are teaching kids that those devices they use for play, can also be used for learning”. One of the ways we can prepare and teach these children for the future is using coding in the classroom. If we start with the youngest student and give them the foundational knowledge that they can build on, we will be able to give them a head start. Edsurge points out that teaching kids to code is helping craft their future. For those who do not go further into the computer programming fields, they will still have the understanding of the basic of computational thinking and problem solving. Matt Harrell points out kids think “coding is cool, and while "cool" is nice, what really matters are the lasting benefits of building these skill sets Logical thinking, Problem solving, Persistence, Collaboration, and Communication”. Teaching kids as young as kindergarten these coding skills will help them become not only consumers of information, but also creators and proactive users of technology. While the challenge to “fit one more thing” into an already packed curriculum arises, the benefits far outweigh any negative.