Much has been made about introducing computer science and coding to students at the elementary level—heck, even the high school level. What do we say to that? Well, you’ll have to keep reading to find out!
EdTech in the Classroom: What are we Afraid Of?
Let’s get one thing straight. In education, technology is not a subject. It’s not something that students spend an hour a day learning about 180 times a year. Technology is not something tangible you can pick up and put down as you please. It’s not a defined, solid object. And, as the world transitions into a tech-first approach to solving its most pressing problems, technology is no longer an option. It’s a tool that can be used to solve these daily problems. And, in education, it’s a means to gaining deeper understanding, engaging children with projects that contain actual interest and a way to actively prepare them for this newfangled world.
Many of today’s teachers, however, are completely against using technology in their lessons because they hate going against tradition, don’t see its relevance, don’t want to take the time to learn how to use it or perhaps some other reason. The fact is that technology is not going away—not any time soon anyway. Today’s students need to be learning and engaging with technology regularly—not just as something extra added to the lesson, but as something the lesson cannot function without. “Technology doesn’t work” is an excuse. A lot of the times, computers don’t work, but we don’t disregard them altogether, do we? No, we need them.
Sure, there’s a chance that classroom technology may, at some point, break down, malfunction or end up not working, but, realistically, there’s a much better chance that it works flawlessly because it’s designed for beginners to use successfully. The learning experience that EdTech promises to deliver is too crucial in the name of student development to ignore. Technology is a way for students to connect beyond pen and paper. They connect with each other in the classroom, from their homes, on the playground and with kids on the other side of the world. They can interactively submit their thoughts in real time. They can immerse themselves much, much deeper into academic subjects and critical concepts. There may be a factor of unknown when it comes to educational technology, but have we ever shied away from exploring the unknown? Aren’t we supposed to encourage students to embrace it?
Building an Entire School Around Coding
Coding is—how can we put it lightly—an absolutely, ultra-important skill that today’s students will 100 percent need to be familiar with in order to attain success in the future workforce. It’s huge. Thankfully, many schools and educators are starting to realize this and have taken steps to make sure that their students are exposed to some coding basics early and often. Some districts have even made computer science a requirement for graduation if that’s any indication of coding’s relevance. There are “coding boot camps” and other STEM-focused summer activities popping up all over the country, seemingly doubling every year. Now, one school has taken it even further.
In the heart of New York City, there’s a new kind of school on the block. The Academy for Software Engineering recently opened its doors and not only are they making sure their students are more invested in computer science, they’re facilitating their exposure to coding directly. To put its popularity, importance and prestige into perspective, the school received 2,400 applications last year for just 108 available spots. The founder of the school doesn’t even have a background in coding, but says he recognized how quickly and easily a lot of the students were falling behind and how vital it was for them to develop tech skills, so he took matters into his own hands. At first, it was a challenge developing a curriculum that would align with coding principles, encourage kids to fail and provide them with a wide range of computing experiences. What he built, however, was a program that ensures students are exposed to rigorous academics as well as to real-life skills they can apply on the outside.
The school’s curriculum, as we mentioned, is centered around coding and programming, but it’s not as demanding as it sounds. Students are required to take one period of computer science three to four times per week, which gives them a total of eight full courses by the time they graduate, including Intro to Computer Science, Programming in Java and AP Computer Science. Many of the school’s other courses weave computer science concepts into the material and teach kids the importance of entrepreneurship and financial literacy among other things while encouraging collaboration. This focus on readiness leads to project-based learning outside of the school and challenging internship opportunities for the students. It’s all part of the plan at AFSE: teaching kids vitally important skills that not only prepare them for an unknown future, but hone invaluable personal skills, that, well, better prepare them for an unknown future.
3D Printing: Will it Soon be Commonplace?
Like any other innovative technology, 3D printing is geared at a specific audience group. Evidence suggests that anything invented when you’re between the ages of 15-35 is new and revolutionary and exciting, but anything invented after you’ve turned 35 is just against what you perceive as the natural order of things. That’s why 3D printing companies are now targeting educational users more than ever. Students jump at the chance to try something new and exciting in the classroom and 3D printing is that next thing. Believe us, 3D printing absolutely has its place in K-12 STEM education.
For one reason or another, 3D printing does not have a ton of popularity among ordinary consumers. That may be why manufacturers are trending towards education to create a viable market for their innovative products. The makers, tinkerers and DIYers have gone from grown hobbyists to curious schoolchildren who have had their interest in STEM education piqued either through their course offerings or afterschool clubs. As 3D printing grew in popularity, it continually caught the eyes of educators and, soon, 3D printing found a brand new target audience.
One person deeply involved with the 3D printing industry predicted that by 2020, there would be a 3D printer in every American home, much like there is now a computer in just about all of them. With this shift towards 3D printing in education, could this translate into there being a 3D printer in every classroom? Or, in every school? It doesn’t look as if that prediction will come true—at least as of now, but today’s students still need to be ready to live in a world that will require them to have skills for creating usable, 3D printable products. To make 3D printing a routine part of education, schools need to get their students immersed in it as soon as possible.
Weaving EdTech into the 2017 Education Budget
There are a lot of things that go into making up the annual federal budget. Most of the time, Americans are bewildered by how much money the government is spending on the military, welfare or some other controversial subject that we won’t get into. In the 2017 plan, however, there’s some money allocated specifically for EdTech. Can you believe that? President Obama believes strongly enough in the power of STEM education that he’s devoted a small amount of the federal budget to make sure that today’s students have access to the tools and experiences they will need in order to become future ready? We’re Eduporium and we approve that message!
Of course, there’s significant spending on education outlined in every federal budget, but next year’s is different. Much of this section focuses on narrowing the achievement gap that exists in today’s schools and his plan hinges on the implementation of more educational technology in K-12 classrooms. Over the next few years, a good chunk of that funding will go towards educating teachers in the area of computer science training so that they are better equipped to mold 21st century students. It also calls for an expansion in computer science curricula in American schools so that kids are frequently exposed to concepts like coding.
Obama’s plan was designed in large part to broaden STEM education in our schools and enhance the initiatives that have already been implemented. He sees computer science as a core academic subject—comparable to writing and math. STEM initiatives have gone from often ignored to an agreed-upon priority in the K-12 community. This colossal effort is necessary as a forward-looking preparatory measure, but also to close that achievement gap we mentioned as soon as humanly possible. Technology and STEM-focused classrooms help to do just that. One thing’s for sure, though: the increased focus on STEM education is overdue and vital to ensure the success of today’s students.
A Definition and Some Benefits of Flipped Learning
The flipped learning model has quietly been enticing all kinds of educators at all grade levels around the world. Chances are you know someone who’s tried it, thought about trying it or just heard it mentioned in casual conversation. One of the reasons flipping the classroom is so popular is because it works. The concept of shifting instruction into something that will more effectively engage students brings a lot of promise and potential in giving them the 21st century education they need and deserve. So, what exactly do you do to flip your classroom?
“Flip class” is an innovative type of blended learning—an instructional strategy that simply reverses the traditional delivery of classroom messages, often making use of tech tools to extend learning online and outside the classroom. The activities that would normally be assigned to students as homework are now done collaboratively in the classroom and students independently receive much of the traditional in-class instruction at home. Everything from listening to lectures, reading slides, practicing examples and grasping concepts is done at home and they bring the relevant homework into school where their teachers can help them through the solving of complex problems to ensure that they really are understanding all that they need to know. It sounds like a great way to shake things up in K-12 education, right?
Thanks to the advances in educational technology, the possibilities for engaging today’s students through practices they will actually find enjoyable have skyrocketed. These technologies have enormous benefits to learning overall, but when used in flipped learning, they deliver an added element that students should really appreciate. The technology allows kids to work at their own pace and rewind lectures whenever they need to, ensuring that they’re in control and never miss anything important. Of course, tech also facilitates deeper collaboration among students working on any subject material, bolstering teamwork as one of the most effective teaching strategies. You might not ever realize it, but student-to-student conversations can occasionally be truly eye-opening for both parties. Aside from the technology benefits of flipped learning, if one student has a question on the homework, the teacher can address that concern and help everyone present understand that point, which isn’t possible when homework is done at home. This also provides the instructor with feedback on how to improve the take-home portion of flipped learning. Give it a shot, you probably won’t regret it.
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