Coding and Robots

Coding is a precise set of instructions that computers can understand.  When thinking about implementing coding into the classroom there are a few questions that teachers have to think about, such as, what program am I going to use? There are multiple coding programs out there that are available for teachers to use. Another question that a teacher might want to ask is how do I want to implement coding in the classroom? This question refers to the area that the teacher wants coding to be implemented into, such as, math, reading, or science.  The last question that a teacher needs to ask when in reference to coding is what do I want it to look like? The teacher has to think about whether he or she wants the coding to be on the computer or hands on. The next steps that a teacher will want to take are getting support in the area of coding and preparing their classroom to implement coding. When a student is learning to code they experience a growth mindset. Coding also improves each student’s confidence with technology. When students are coding they are able to learn that failure is part of the process, which is great for students to learn because failure occurs in other areas of life as well. Students also learn to persist through a task, this is another great life skill that students should be exposed to because they are able to see that sometimes things can be difficult but we should persist through them so that we are able to achieve success in the end. Another benefit of learning to code is that it reminds teachers what makes learning fun, challenging, and authentic. Getting students involved in coding will help set them up for future careers that deal with coding.  A great tool for coding is Code.org, it is available to grades Kindergarten to Fifth grade and has curriculum guides and lesson plans available for free. Students can code robots to make them perform tasks. Teachers have to ask themselves some of the same questions about robots that they do about coding so that they can see how they want them used in their classroom.  Robots are great when working with STEM and are a very fun and unique asset to a classroom. If I am at a school with the finances for coding and robots, I will use them in my future classroom for fun, to help my students with persistence, and to let them see that failing is okay.