Coding for Kids

I want to talk about two things that are dear to my heart: My kids and Coding

My two sons are 8 and 3 years old. They are growing up in this vastly growing technology dependent era. Technically they are considered to be digital natives; however our economic circumstances holds them back from being well acclimated and  accustomed to using computers, navigating on the internet, and other various forms of technology, other than playing a few games on my smart phone. With so many new innovative creations being developed every day I try my best to stay relevant on what my boys should know in order for them to become intellectual contenders in the arena of life.  

First I will briefly explain what coding is. There are different types of coding languages that can be used to transmit instructions to a computer in order to perform different functions. Coding is the specific language that informs the computer on what to do next. For example; something as simple as the background on this blog is created through code. A specific sentence was written that the computer interprets and produces the outcome that we see here. Learning how to code is now becoming highly accessible and easily communicated in ways that young children can understand. There are free courses and tutorials that engage the curious minds of children and allow them to explore the possibilities of creating original computer apps, games, programs, and websites through code. With this knowledge children can began to unlock their learning potential and truly invest years in practicing a skill that has proven to be not only beneficial but a necessary bilingual language that will increase the amount of future education and career opportunities for these digital natives.

 I consider code to be the language of the future. My predictions are that in the next 10 years coding will be introduced into the public school systems as a component of the technology curriculum, when it is finally decided that there should be a mainstream requirement for computer skills beyond typing, to be taught in primary and secondary education.  Until this happens parents and educators like myself are on their own with helping kids ride the wave of the future through code. Below are a list of excellent websites that you can access to give you and your digital natives step by step instructions on how to code. I have tried these sites below with my boys but there are plenty other coding resources out there with FREE opportunities to become Coding Masters…. Enjoy

  

www.Code.org

www.tynker.com

www.bitsbox.com

www.pluralsight.com/kids

Who’s ready for i-Ready?

https://youtu.be/94j5h_7xOhs

Curriculum Associates developed a K-12 adaptive diagnostic and K-8 instruction online program, built for Common Core State Standards called i-Ready. This program is designed to provide students with individualized diagnostic assessments and engaging instruction. The focus of this online program is reading and math. The reading portion covers: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, High Frequency Words, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. The math portion covers: Number and Operations, Algebra-Algebraic thinking, Measurement & Data, and Geometry.  i-Ready Diagnostic and Instruction  helps teachers to effectively assess their students and then provide individualized instruction based on each student’s unique needs. 

By giving students these adaptive assessments that are derived from the CCSS, educators are able to easily and more effectively gage the academic strengths and weakness of each student in their classroom. The adaptive assessment automatically adjust in difficulty level of questions according to the students responses. This will determine their skill level in both reading and math. i-Ready presents students with questions that may be below and above the student’s performance abilities. The test are designed this way because it evaluates both the correct and incorrect answers in order to match the student to the appropriate skill level. Each time a student gets an answer incorrect, he or she will be presented with a simpler question until the diagnostic finds the grade level at which the student is performing well. In my opinion This method of assessments allows for educators to directly see the exact CCSS that the students need more practice with.

Once the results are available students  are assigned a username and a password to access further online instruction in the form of interactive activities on the i-Ready website. This is perfect because the student has 24hr access to i-Ready instruction. The program uses entertaining and attention grabbing game like activities to teach the self-paced lessons.  These activities assist the student in building a stronger skill set on the CCSS standards in which they exhibited low scores on the test. This offers great support in increasing the student’s abilities in mastering each skill level. As a result the students experience learning that attracts and captivates their interest while teaching them crucial skills and concepts needed to prepare them for the Standardized Smarter Balanced Test and promote their college and career readiness. I personally have experience with i-Ready. My son is in the 2^nd grade and uses the i-Ready program to practice Common Core State Standards and prepare him for the Standardized Smarter Balanced test. He completes the lessons after homework and enjoys the interactive learning games. I’m highly interested in seeing how his skill development from using i-Ready impacts his performance on the SBAC.

Information derived from http://www.curriculumassociates.com/products/iready/diagnostic-instruction.aspx