A New Take on DIY for the Holidays

With the holidays approaching, there are always gift fads that explode in popularity, only to fade away soon after. Remember the Furby? How about the Tamagotchi? There uniqueness belied significant flaws and limits in terms of functionality.

This year, I have a request: Every child should receive a computer for the holidays. Do I sound crazy? Maybe. I’m not talking about any computer, though. There companies that are making computers more accessible. The catch? You have to build the computer! To generations not in the K-12 world, this may sound intimidating. However, as could be seen during our school’s Hour of Code activity from last week, kids are ready to get their hands dirty with technology. Raspberry Pi has been around for several years, although it has been more popular in the UK. Essentially, this is a $40 computer that can be programmed infinitely with the right fiddling. Kano, another UK group, has combined the power of the Raspberry Pi with other computer hardware to give consumers the chance to build a desktop computer–complete with storage, a keyboard, the opportunity to play games such as Minecraft, and the chance to customize and add games to the computer. The Kano system and the Raspberry Pi computer provide incredible flexibility and opportunities for endless creativity for young computer programmers. With a price point between $40-$120, our future leaders have never had better access to opportunities for innovation in the realm of technology. We simply need to put the tools in their hands.

As you do your holiday shopping this year, you don’t necessarily need a big, flashy box. Buy one of these computers, and your young programmer’s world will change.

Hack-and-Tell: Show-and-Tell 2.0

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.

Spanish, French, Latin…Computer Programming?

When I started in my new position, I had read a bit about the advantages of teaching students how to code, though I never had the opportunity to implement programming in my classroom. I had to hit the ground running when I began teaching my Media Literacy course to 5th graders. There are a variety of coding applications out there, but Scratch, developed by MIT, came highly recommended. There are lots of resources available online that help teachers use the Scratch interface more effectively in their classrooms, and I began the year following one of these curriculum guides.

Initially, my pace was perfectly manageable for the students. We discussed the structure of the Scratch interface and began completing some basic challenges. Soon, though, I started hearing sound effects popping up from different parts of the room. Students were giggling, leaning over to each other, and I saw dozens of pairs of eyes darting across their keyboards and screens. When I began circulating, I saw how students had advanced quickly past my instructions and were experimenting on their own. I asked them what they were doing…

“Oh, we figured out how to record our voices to so that we could make our characters speak to each other.”

“I didn’t like the blank background, so I was looking in the gallery for a new one–look at that disco ball!”

Was I needed here? I started questioning myself immediately. Then…

“Mr. Moser, I can’t figure this out–how do you make the background move? I want my game to look like Minecraft.”

Reflecting on this, I wondered: Was I being proactive or reactive in this situation? Being proactive helped me to be prepared in the general sense when teaching coding. Accepting the fact that I needed to be reactive, though, enabled me to adjust quickly to the rapidity of my students’ exploration and growth. They were ready to experiment, and my role shifted instantaneously. I became a provider of a wide range of information, with just enough given to inspire my students to dig deeper. For instance, I quickly found a structure for coding a scrolling background for the student who wanted to make a Minecraft-type game. He had to take what I gave him and apply it to his own imaginative context. I had to get over quickly the notion that I had failed in some way because I did not plod through my curriculum guide. The dynamic nature of this instructional experience has definitely helped me.

But where does coding fit in? To me, it feels very much like a spoken or written language. In this realm, students are required to communicate in new ways. They are able to apply linguistic conventions to create new meaning. They can translate their knowledge to the real world. They can have meaningful discussions in the language’s context. All of these characteristics can describe a Spanish or French class as well.

When I began teaching computer programming, I certainly did not expect to become a modern language teacher as well. However, the engagement students show and the dialogue they are able to have with one another demonstrates how crucial this knowledge is for them as they move forward.