Coding in the Classroom

There has been a movement recently to teaching computer programming/coding in the classroom. Many believe that it should be part of the curriculum along with the other core subjects of mathematics and reading. Learning to code has many aspects to it other than the skill to write computer programs, it also teaches logic skills and problem solving. Adding coding classes into the curriculum is not a simple task. There are several issues that arise from this task. One issue is that introducing coding into classrooms has is the lack of teachers in this field. There are many online sites and programs that teach children how to code using internet sites but they are not for every learner. Many students still need a hands on teacher to teach them the lessons and programs. An issue with this is that a lot of teachers do not have coding skills currently. Through professional development they can start to learn with the students and their enthusiasm for learning it can rub off on their students, but it is still a difficult process. Another issue with teaching code as part of the curriculum is that there is already a lot of information and content that teachers need to teach students such as reading, science, and math. There is not always a lot of time to add in a coding curriculum.

A final issue with adding coding into the schools is the debate on how necessary coding is for students to learn. On the pro end of the debate is that it is a needed skill along the same lines as reading and math. The argument states that it will help students get interested in technical trades and STEM programs. The needed for computer programmers are great and having some basic coding skills in earlier education can jump start them into a career after secondary education. They also stress how these skills are not only to program computers but it helps students to get a basic understanding on how technology works, even if they are not able to write new programs, they are able to get more out of the technologies that they use. A final pro to this argument is that learning the basics of coding helps to teach students learn logic and problem solving skills. The New York Times has an article on their website that discusses the pros of starting to learn code early: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/05/12/teaching-code-in-the-classroom/teach-coding-as-early-as-possible

On the con side of the debate are several issues. One argument is that computer coding is not a necessary skill to have. While knowing how to read, write, and do basic mathematics will be needed in virtually any profession, only those who become computer programmers need to know how to write code. Knowing how to write code is a difficult process to learn and it can become frustrating to students who struggle with it and turn them off to any computer or science related subject in the future. Teaching code will also need to take the time and place of teaching other more needed subjects that already do not get the amount of time devoted to it as it deserves. Finally many people believe that it is an asset to teach student logic and problem solving skills. If that is the result, lessons can be written to teach logic and problem solving to students that incorporates subjects like math and language arts.

Coding in the classroom might be where all modern classes are heading but there are still a lot of issues that arise from introducing this new movement. Matt Coaty writes in his blog the pros and cons that he has found while using “Coding Hour” in his own classroom.  http://mattcoaty.com/2013/12/10/coding/

Feedly

I found a great resource where I can put all of the blogs, pinterest pages, and websites that I have just found. These sites are called RSS which put everything together into one site where I can see the new posts and updates that they all have. The site that I am using is called a Feedly.

Here is a picture of my Feedly. So far I only have this blog added on there so I can just test it and see how it works. In the future I will add more sites to it that I want to keep up to date with so I don't have to search everywhere for new information.

The Future of My Blog

This blog was created as an assignment for a Technology in Education class. That being said it turned into more than just an assignment for me. Through education and research into other educators blogs and social media forms of sharing information I was able to see the real benefit that they have for educators such as myself. There are thousands of teachers all over the globe that share their ideas, activities, and thoughts about education and their students to everyone. It is a great connection to be able to read their ideas, comment with others, and have productive discussion with people that you normally would not be able to contact. I have been following several different Pinterest boards in the past that are dedicated to education but never really looked into blogs before. I see now that they are a great resource for not only to share with other educators but can be used as a teacher website to connect with students and teachers.

I already have a teaching portfolio online in my Weebly, but I know think that I would like to continue also using a blogging format once I begin teacher assisting or once I am a teacher. I could post my activities and thoughts to share with other educators to bounce ideas off of them. It can also serve as a journal of what my work is which can provide me with notes later to look back on what activities were successes and which could be altered. A blog would also be useful for students and parents. I saw several other blogs that gave reminders to students about upcoming assignments and projects. It also can serve as a newsletter for parents because it can show them what the classroom is doing so that they can be involved and also contact me. Blogs are very interactive and I love this aspect because I can make a cute and fun post and then have others comment to have discussion and build knowledge and experience together.

Educational Blogs

In my last post I shared many different educators who used social media sites to share information, resources, research, and activities to other educators and professionals. In this post I have compiled a list of teachers and educators who share their experiences and works through a blog like myself.

Doyle is a science teacher who has a blog with posts that cover topics from current topics in science education, interesting science facts, and issues that surround education as a whole. He makes a post about once a week with things that he finds interesting and relevant in his field and for other educators. http://doyle-scienceteach.blogspot.com/

Elizabeth Hall is a kindergarten teacher who blogs about her time in the classroom and the many resources that she uses. She posts several times a week with many helpful posts the include what her students are up to and their many hands-on activities. http://kickinitinkindergarten.com/

Jen Agent is another kindergarten teacher who loves to blog about the resources she finds and uses. Many of her posts include pictures of her activities in use in the classroom. She also encourages all educators to use blogging and social media for professional development because she has learned so much from others through it. http://mrsagentsclass.blogspot.com/p/my-classroom.html

Kelley Tenkely runs a blog that focuses on technology in the classroom with what she calls ilearning. She posts many articles and links to resources that include research about technology in the classroom and different uses. http://ilearntechnology.com/

Steve Wheeler has a blog called "Learning with e's" in which he focuses most of his posts between the changes in education. One of the biggest changes in education that he focuses on is advancements in technology and their effects and uses in the classroom. http://steve-wheeler.blogspot.com/

The Blue Skunk Blog is run by Doug Johnson. It is a blog that post about important issues for the classroom. He also makes posts the are relevant for all teachers and focus on the educational system and the changes that are occurring. http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/

Rodd Lucier runs the Clever Sheep blog because as an educator he feels that collaboration with others is a vital part of professional development. Many of his posts include research about learning styles of children and teaching strategies. http://thecleversheep.com/

Teacher Tom is a preschool teacher who loves to post about what his students are doing in the classroom and why he is doing it. He does many hands-on activities with them and writes posts about what his students did with insights and research to back up his methods. http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/

Will Richardson has been a blogger for almost 15 years. He focuses on technology in the classroom, how it has changed learning for students, and tries to find research to see what the future holds for students with these new opportunities. http://willrichardson.com/

Jenny Kable is an Australian early education teacher who works for a progressive school. Her blog includes what is happening in her classroom, many hands-on activities, and posts about how incorporating play into learning is beneficial. http://www.letthechildrenplay.net/

Education and Social Media

There are many educators and educational resources online. Through social media sources such as Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube, etc. many educators can share their experiences and resources with others with ease.
I have found a number of these professionals who are able to share their knowledge through social media sites.

Erin Wing- She has a large Pinterest account in which she posts many educational resources on several topics on her boards. She has 93 boards with over 1.3 million followers.

Annie Moffatt- Is a blogger and a teacher from California. She has a Pinterest account that includes 117 boards that all incorporate education and the learning of children in several areas. She also has over 13 thousand followers.

Teaching Channel- Is a collection of contributors who make educational videos to share resources with other educators on YouTube. They have hundreds of videos and also have over 25,000 followers with millions of views for their videos.

Vicki Davis- Is a teacher from GA who has a Twitter account dedicated to mainly teaching ideas, links to resources, and some posts about her own children. She has 99 thousand followers.

Patrick Mooney- Is a teacher who loves to Tweet about educational resources, his work as an administrator, and also educational technology.

Kylene Beers- Is an educator with a Twitter who posts a lot of resources focused on reading and literacy.

Michael Weinraub- Is an educator who Tweets about educational reform and issues in education along with personal hobbies including woodworking.

Rachel Lynette- Is an educator with a many teaching boards on Pinterest which include classroom ideas, free printables and lesson plans, and resources for Common Core.

Hope King- Is a teacher and blogger who has a Pinterest page with almost 99 boards. most of which focus around classroom ideas and activities for her students.

Marcia Sullivan- Is an educator with a Pinterest page which provides followers with resources for the classroom including technology uses and subject related acitivities.

Giselle Santos- Is a Brazilian educator who has an active Twitter account called @feedtheteacher which has many posts about the uses of technology in the classroom and other educational related resources.

Ms. Mingl's Classroom- Is a Twitter account run by the students in her classroom which show the variety of activities and learning opportunities that they have along with information for other educators to get involved.

Andrea Knight- Is a first grade teacher who has a Pinterest page with 196 boards all dedicated to classroom resources and activites for fellow educators.

Emily- Is an educator and blogger who shares thousand of activities, lesson plans, and classroom tips through both her blog and Pinterest boards.

Creating, Teaching, and Sharing- Is a Pinterest page run by a teacher who has over 100 boards dedicated to different classroom resources, most of which are hands-on learning activities for students.

Tom Whitby- Is a higher education teacher who uses his Twitter account to post about current topics in education and reform issues for school systems.

Tabitha Carro- Is a teacher who uses her Pinterest page to provide other educators with resources for their classrooms, with most of the boards dedicated towards Spanish instruction.

Tessa McGuire- Is an educator with a Pinterest page with boards that offer others resources for hand on learning, crafts, and many reading activities.

Starla Scott- Is a new teacher who likes to use her Pinterest to not only pin for her personal life but also has many, many boards dedicated to classroom ideas, activities, and educational research.

Malia- Is a kindergarten teacher and mom who has a Pinterest page with many boards that focus on hands-on learning and activities with a focus on younger ages.

Educational Organizations

There are numerous organizations on both the National and State level for education in all levels for all areas and specialties. I have found one in both the National and State level that I find interesting and useful.

National Level
The National Association for the Education of Young Children
This organization's Mission states "NAEYC promotes high-quality early learning for all children, birth through age 8, by connecting practice, policy, and research. We advance a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and support all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children." There are three levels of membership for the NAEYC that include: Comprehensive, Regular, and Student. All three memberships include: 20% off the website's online store, five issues of Teaching Young Children or Young Children, five digital issues of Young Children, reduced registration fees for NAEYC conferences and training, membership discounts for insurances, access to members only information on the NAEYC website, discounts for subscriptions to a variety of educational periodicals, voting rights for the NAEYC elections, and memberships into state and local divisions. The Comprehensive membership has the added benefit of 6 cutting edge books delivered a year. The cost of each membership is $110 for comprehensive, $66 for regular, and $45 for student membership.
The NAEYC holds an annual conference every fall. The upcoming conference will be held November 18-20, 2015 in Orlando, FL. It includes many workshops and break out sessions to provide research information, community discussions, and learning opportunities. The cost of attendance for the 2015 conference has not been released as the conference is still in the planning phase. The website did give information that members will have a discounted rate and you can sign up for updates regarding the conference.


State Level
The Michigan Council for Exceptional Children
This is an organization of which I am personally a member. Grand Valley State University has a student chapter, one of the largest university chapters in Michigan, and membership to the Michigan chapter is included.
The Michigan Chapter is part of the National Council for Exceptional Children. On their website they are quoted as being "a trusted voice in shaping special education policy and practice and has been known for its expertise and leadership throughout the education community in Michigan. Our diverse membership holds the vision that a vibrant professional association, that works together and with other associations, will ensure that individuals with exceptionalities are valued and included in all life roles from birth through young adulthood."
To become a member their a variety of options. There are three levels of membership: Premier, Full, and Basic. Premier membership includes: assess to articles and research, news and publications by the Council, unrestricted communication forums to other professionals and members, discounts for educational resources, books, and continued education programs, connections to the National Division and other special interest divisions, and access to the CEC career center. Another benefit of this membership includes monthly subscription to additional newsletters and webinars The cost of this level of membership is $205 a year. Full membership offers online versions of CEC magazines with research articles, topical newsletters, unlimited access to CEC community to share knowledge between professionals, optional memberships to special interest divisions, and discounts on educational resources and access to prerecorded webinars. The cost of this membership is $115 a year. Finally the Basic membership offers limited access to useful research articles, weekly newsletters, connections to enter into special interest divisions, limited discounts on educational programs, and access to the CEC career center. This value membership has a cost of only $65 a year. Additional all of the memberships offered has a discounted price of 20% for students which is a wonderful resource and opportunity.


The Michigan chapter holds an annual conference in Grand Rapids, MI every year. The most recent conference was held March 4-6, 2015. The conference includes over 130 breakout sessions to discuss every topic imaginable in education. The cost of the conference varies. For workshops there is a $260 fee for members and $290 for non members. The two day seminars have a fee of $155 for members and $195 for non members. Students attending a Michigan university can apply for a stipend to defray the cost of the conference. 

About Me

Hello!
My name is Jackie Frey. I am a Comprehensive Science and Arts for Teaching and Special Education Major with a minor in Psychology. I am planning on getting my endorsement in Cognitively Impaired and Emotionally Impaired. After graduated from Grand Valley I plan to continue with my education to get an additional certification for Deaf Education.

Rachel Bellovich- GVSU ASLCC Vice President

I am really interested in American Sign Language and as I have been studying it I have come to appreciate the Deaf culture so I want to become a teacher for Deaf children. I am currently the president of the American Sign Language and Culture Club at GVSU so I am connected to the Deaf community. My other hobbies include Belly Dancing which I also do as part of a club at GVSU.



I will be starting my Teacher Assisting in the fall at West Elementary in Wyoming, MI. Because this will be my first real experience in the classroom other than observations and some volunteering I have not been able to plan and use technology really at all. I can say that pretty much the only technology I have used would be a document camera to project a book with pictures onto the board for children. When I have been in the classroom for observing and volunteering at Allendale Public Schools and Hudsonville Public Schools. I am excited to learn new and interesting ways to incorporate technology into my teaching for the future.