Why Coding is Cool (to me)

pict: http://goo.gl/5a3BK3

I was recently asked to give input to an article about the increase of schools teaching coding as a tool to train kids “for the jobs of the future.”  I was thankful for the opportunity to sit back and contemplate my own reasoning for encouraging code.

For me, teaching code has never been about creating future employees for start-ups and corporations. While I admit it's a perk, there are disciplines that come with learning how to code that I see as valuable, cross-curricular and as 22nd century competencies.

Coding isn't a skill or practice that comes naturally to me and that's why I tend to gravitate in its direction. It's a brain workout, and it sometimes hurts. It's not something I do every day, but when given the challenge I will take it with enthusiasm. Trying ideas and practices that don't come "easy" is a valuable lesson to transfer to our students. Not everything should be easy, come neuro-natural, if you will. This very idea is why I believe in teaching code to our students. Sometimes in the classroom I see my students give in too easily and this is a mindset that needs to be reset. Coding can give the opportunity to do so.

In its simplicity and raw nature, coding teaches patterns and languages. Coding itself becomes a teacher when the patterns one has created fails, calling for the patterns to be analyzed and rewritten until a solution is reached that results in the personalized, desired outcome. This same principle of try, fail, try again is often taught in sports or in music, but rarely pushed in academic areas. I see coding as an opportunity to push with the pay off of creation. The creation of an app, website or a moving object. 

 From a neurological standpoint, this kind of activity is really nutritious for the brain, as new path ways are set up and happy chemicals are released as these new pathways are established. Who doesn't want a happy brain?

Another bonus I see in coding is the opportunity for differentiation. One can write code in groups or solo. This is an idea that is good for many students who struggle with social environments, as it allows them to apply the together alone brakes as needed. Code can be as difficult or complex as the user wants which turnkeys personalized scaffolding. 

Coding is most associated with the current STEM trend in education. Integrating coding into technology and STEM classes can be done in various ways. The curricular goals of the school should drive where coding is embedded (pun!) into practices. There should be a clear reason and plan why coding appears rather than just bandwagon purposes.

To end, why do I find coding so important, so essential? I see code as the infrastructure that creates the internet. I see the internet as the tool that makes our complex world connected. To understand such a powerful infrastructure in any way possible is just purely fascinating. The kind of fascinating that makes my brain hurt.

Resources for kids to code:
Codecademy

Code.org

Meredith Martin's Incredible Symbaloo