As educators in the 21st century, today’s school leaders are always looking for some help and we realize that. We try to provide teachers with as much support as possible throughout each phase of this EdTech acquisition. We are not the only ones, however, in the business of trying to make that tech acquisition and deployment process easier for educators (obviously).
Teachers could use Blockly coding to teach kids about inputs and outputs on a very basic level before progressing to various, more advanced coding concepts, like loops and logic. Best of all, there are a bunch of great STEM tools for introducing kids to Blockly programming, like the Dash Robot, the Ozobot Evo, Finch Robot 2.0, Edison Robot, and the Tello EDU drone.
Coding experiences are worthwhile for students starting in Pre-K and kindergarten and up through high school and college. If you already have a plan for CS Ed Week, that’s great but, if you need recommendations, we have plenty of those inside, including coding tools from top STEM manufacturers, screen-free options, or those that are completely virtual.
With the official kickoff of CS Ed Week just two days away, we thought we should discuss some exciting ways that students can practice programming in the upcoming week and throughout the rest of the year. The number of coding tools is constantly growing, so there are a lot of options that teachers could try in the classroom or after school.
The Root robot can help children of all different ages learn key tech and programming skills by introducing them to coding gradually. Teaching and learning with Root, however, is made much more effective when educators are masters themselves. So, the iRobot Education team has created Root Academy—an all-encompassing educator PD tool.
For one week in December, we put a little bit of an extra emphasis on the importance of computer science and teaching students coding skills so that they may excel in an economy that’s driven by technology. There are hundreds of ways that school and district leaders can help their students participate in Hour of Code activities and so many creative options.
Every year, students in schools around the world take part in Computer Science Education Week and the Hour of Code. Participation in this fantastic initiative has continued to grow every year since its official inception and we expect this year to the biggest one yet! This year’s CS Ed Week begins on Monday (Dec. 3) and runs through Dec. 9.
We don’t care how. We just want to help teachers get kids coding. And what better time of the year to do so? We trust that everyone has been having a great CS Ed Week, but if you want to try some new things towards the end of it or carry it over into next week or even next year, we’ve got some suggestions for how you can do it.
Coding is arguably far and away the most important skill that our students need to learn and the structure of today’s economy certainly supports that belief. It’s not that simply the highest-paying jobs require workers to be proficient in coding—it’s even starting to trend towards the entire workforce needing coding skills in some form or another.
Whether it’s because of a lack of good resources, lack of funds, or lack of knowing how easy it is to get started, many school and district leaders do not provide their students with CS education opportunities. Luckily, coding is becoming easier to learn, which also means it’s become easier to teach. While they may seem unlikely, here are some ways of doing so.
