We all remember show-and-tell days during our elementary years. I recall the excitement I experienced when it was my turn to share an art project, pictures of a pet, or an epic song I had learned on the piano. Having an audience of peers who were interested in learning about a passion or interest of mine made for a safe environment in which to present on a personal subject.
Fast-forward to today: At an office space in Washington, DC’s Chinatown neighborhood, the adult, tech-focused version of show-and-tell is occurring on a regular basis. During this meeting of the minds, presenters have a couple of minutes to present coding and programming projects they have been working on in their spare time. A reporter for NPR sat in on one of these sessions–they began in New York City and are proliferating throughout the country–and interviewed several of the participants. Check out the article here about these “Hack-and-Tells.”
Some of the programming projects have obvious social and economic benefits. Others, however, have been developed for fun. The benefits of the Hack-and-Tell are myriad: The ideas shared are creative, they allow people to explore and develop their passions, and they engender a culture of experimentation and innovation. Sounds like an ideal classroom environment to me!
After hearing the NPR story and reading the article, I realize that the Hack-and-Tell would be extremely beneficial for our students. Many of my fifth graders, as well as some seventh and eighth graders, have been exploring programming through applications such as Scratch and Python. I believe that providing students with the opportunity to share and collaborate on coding and programming project ideas will create even greater interest in this crucial field.
Students are used to show-and-tells that are not related to technology. They are also becoming increasingly interested in the world of programming and application creation. Why not merge the two into an innovation forum? Hack-and-Tell for our future leaders is just as important as it is for those currently in the workforce. Who knows what might come from the sharing of such incredible ideas? The possibilities are endless.
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