The tech passion is inherent in some of the kids I've met
I've always enjoyed teaching, and I had the chance to do it in the time I've b...
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I loved this post!
I especially liked your ideas behind the importance of studying programming. Knowing how computers work will give our kids superpowers and will help them to create the world they want to live in (in whatever way they choose!). They need to know this.
You said that this is the path that you tend to give to your students when you have the chance. How do you that? You told the example of those robots in the hotel. Do you also do related activities together?
I'm also as passionate as you are about this topic. I'm a mom with a background in tech, and I write books about computers for kids because, as you said in that last part, I feel the responsibility to change how we tell the story of computers to our kids.
Thanks for sharing, Paula.
Hey! hello this reply made me happy! I would love to write a kids book on the topic as well, I've been thinking about it a lot. I would love to know more about your projects! About your questions, we usually sit and playfully try to recognize tech around us. I would go and ask them about the tech they use in their daily life (usually involving TV, videogames and such, minecraft...) and we discuss how those things work. I even asked a few times to play as if one of them were a robot and tell the other kids to make a "program" for their friend, involving dancing and similar, it's a lot of funm they laugh a lot and they understand the importance of precise commands. I sometimes bring up comic and fiction, for example I use Teen Titans and such to put examples, or things they like. I really love to think of those kind of activities.
Hey Paula —it's so nice when you find someone as excited about this!
I LOVE how you make the topic so playful and accessible. We need more of this. 💙
About my books. You can read the last blog posts that I posted here on DEV to hear more about the ideas behind them. And this is the website zerusandona.com. The book series is called Zerus & Ona, a 0 and a 1 living inside computers and sharing their adventures in The Binary World.
I could talk about books, storytelling, and computers for hours! So, if you'd like to geek out together, this is my email miriam@zerusandona.com.
Happy to chat. :D
I have a 8 years old daughter and i started teaching her how to code. We started with a game on her phone, because it was basic enough and very accessible, she didn't have to get out of her comfort zone at all. So we moved to Scratch, but it was lacking something, and she didn't feel too engaged.
Then i found Hour of Code, a website devoted to engage people to teach coding for 1 hour. There is a Minecraft-themed series: just like Scratch, but Minecraft-y. She loved it, because it is something with which she is familiar. She knows the characters and knows what their behavior is like, thus it is easier for her to know what to expect when instructing the characters.
Alongside with that, i've been showing her how to apply what she learns from the games to real code. So far we've declared some variables, wrote a function and the next step will be conditionals and loops :D
She is loving it and i love being able to teach her a skill that she will use for the rest of her life.
I liked reading your story, Jorge.
A Scratch course wouldn't have got my attention by itself either. It's so important that we meet our kids where they are, focusing on what they already love and finding the connection with technology. You see many kids stepping out now because they just feel coding is this last new thing they need to learn and they don't see the point.
We need to find ways to reach them and it seems you did it!
Almost 3 years have passed since your comment... Is she still engaged with it? Do you code together? :D
Sorry, i only saw your reply now
She likes to make stuff on Roblox and on Minecraft, which was the natural leap from Scratch, i think.
I don't know if she's gonna take it as a career, she became passionate about literature, drama, etc.
I tried, guys! haha
That's amazing! Thanks for the tip. It's awesome she is learning coding from her dad, she'll prob thanks you in the future.
Hopefully i can make that difference in her life!
An interesting way to teach the children programming indeed. Although they might not know that they are learning programming, at EduBirdie site they can read articles and essays that will have the concept about programming. It is edu birdie and these concepts that we need to have a better understanding of those principles and be able to enjoy what we learn.
Thank you for the useful tip!! I'ĺl totally take a look!