Originally Published for CUE Magazine.

Coding…
Posted by Bonnie Bracey Sutton

CODING

coding
ˈkōdiNG/
noun
the process of assigning a code to something for the purposes of classification or identification.
You may know coding as programming.

Coding is the act of writing a program in a programming language. So when people say you will need to know coding, they are saying you need to know two things. You need to know the language and you need to know how to use the language. It is easier to show an example of coding than to explain it. http://code.org/learn/codehs

You’ve seen the craze for learning code. But what exactly is coding?

Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites.

Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they’re all made with code.

Here’s a simple example of code, written in the Python programming language:

print ‘Hello, world!’
Many code tutorials use that command as their very first example, because it’s one of the simplest examples of code you can have – it ‘prints’ (displays) the text ‘Hello, world!’ onto the screen.

CODE.ORG has a video that explains coding, shares the vision of a lot of people interested in getting coding into education and. more. Here is one of their three videos on coding.

What Most Schools Don’t Teach

Bill Gates Chairman, Microsoft
“Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.“code 5
The group CSTA has many resources to help explain, engage you and immerse in the study of code.

CODING AS A METAPHOR FOR COMPUTATIONAL THINKING CSTA

The Computer Science Teachers Association is a membership organization that supports and promotes the teaching of computer science and other computing disciplines. CSTA provides opportunities for K–12 teachers and students to better understand the computing disciplines and to more successfully prepare themselves to teach and learn.

Click to access Astrachan.pdf

There is outreach to teachers in this program for professional development.code 3
What is CS4HS?

CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) is an initiative sponsored by Google to promote Computer Science and Computational Thinking in high school and middle school curriculum. With a gift from Google’s Education Group, universities develop 2-3 day workshops for local high school and middle school CS teachers. These workshops incorporate informational talks by industry leaders, and discussions on new and emerging CS curricula at the high school and middle school level. On the CSTA site, you’ll find information on how to apply for a CS4HS grant, information for workshop attendees and partners, and other helpful resources. CS4HS funding is currently offered in the US, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, China, New Zealand, and Australia.You could also learn a lot by attending a CSTA Conference which features workshops, mentors, and applications.

Here is an example of a CS4HS workshop that I attended. CS4HS is one of many resources to help teachers learn to code.

UMBC Google CS4HS Teacher Development Workshop 2013

http://maple.cs.umbc.edu/cs4hs/schedule/

The presentations are here for your use, or perusal.

There is a big push to teach coding to students of all ages. code six

Teachers learning about the importance of coding at a CS4HS teacher’s workshop.

Coding for Kids is easier to reference and to find on the web.

Code.org offers tutorials below.

CodeHS Online curriculum designed specifically for highschool classrooms.

Codecademy After SchoolA complete online afterschool program for a coding club.

Tynker Teach programming in elementary or middle school in a fun way.

Scratch is a great program to use to teach young students. Try it!!