{"id":4571,"date":"2014-12-21T09:00:28","date_gmt":"2014-12-21T16:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/?p=4571"},"modified":"2014-12-20T09:24:00","modified_gmt":"2014-12-20T16:24:00","slug":"kids-should-code-why-computational-thinking-needs-to-be-taught-in-schools-jim-chalmers-and-tim-watts-comment-is-free-theguardian-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2014\/12\/21\/kids-should-code-why-computational-thinking-needs-to-be-taught-in-schools-jim-chalmers-and-tim-watts-comment-is-free-theguardian-com\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids should code: why &#8216;computational thinking&#8217; needs to be taught in schools | Jim Chalmers and Tim Watts | Comment is free | theguardian.com"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span><p>Learning to code is about understanding the tools and devices that are all around us, so that we have control rather than the people who made those tools.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2014\/dec\/19\/kids-should-code-why-computational-thinking-needs-to-be-taught-in-schools\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/2435823037_982e775726_o-460x276.jpeg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2014\/dec\/19\/kids-should-code-why-computational-thinking-needs-to-be-taught-in-schools\">Kids should code: why &#8216;computational thinking&#8217; needs to be taught in schools | Jim Chalmers and Tim Watts | Comment is free | theguardian.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But it\u2019s more than being able to interact with the remarkable microcomputers in our everyday lives, it\u2019s about having the knowhow and the confidence to look beyond the shiny applications and to the code beneath: about using technology to create from the ground up, not just consume.<\/p>\n<p>More of our schools\u2019 curricula should be devoted to this kind of knowledge. It\u2019s not just student\u2019s technical skills that benefit from this type of learning. The spillover is that students develop better ways to approach and think about problems, which is just as valuable as the technical skills themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Jeanette Wing, vice president of Microsoft research and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=U67utvZai8s\">pioneer of computational thinking<\/a> \u2013 the ability to break a problem down and express the solution in a form that a computer can understand and evaluate \u2013 sees it as a skill as important as reading, writing and arithmetic, and one that will be embraced by everyone by the middle of the 21st century.<\/p>\n<p>This type of thinking will be embraced not only for its computer science applications, but because the abilities to abstract, compartmentalise and synthesise can be transferred to any domain.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class='wp_likes' id='wp_likes_post-4571'><a class='like' href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(4571);\" title='' ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-likes\/images\/like.png\" alt='' border='0'\/><\/a><span class='text'>Be the first to like.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class='like' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.like(4571);\">Like<\/a><\/div>\n<div class='unlike' ><a href=\"javascript:wp_likes.unlike(4571);\">Unlike<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Approximate Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> &lt; 1<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute<\/span><\/span>Learning to code is about understanding the tools and devices that are all around us, so that we have control rather than the people who made those tools. Kids should code: why &#8216;computational thinking&#8217; needs to be taught in schools &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2014\/12\/21\/kids-should-code-why-computational-thinking-needs-to-be-taught-in-schools-jim-chalmers-and-tim-watts-comment-is-free-theguardian-com\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[353,81,24],"tags":[388,6,135,393,53],"class_list":["post-4571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-computers-2","category-information-technology","category-teaching-learning","tag-academia","tag-computer-science","tag-computing-education","tag-teaching-learning","tag-technology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4Hsb6-1bJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2113,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/04\/02\/it-turns-out-that-learning-about-computing-is-not-like-learning-to-drive-a-car\/","url_meta":{"origin":4571,"position":0},"title":"It Turns Out that Learning About Computing is NOT like Learning to Drive a Car","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"April 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Why all our kids should be taught how to code: m.guardian.co.uk. I'm just sayin' ...... almost everything we have done over the last two decades in the area of ICT education in British schools has been misguided and largely futile. Instead of educating children about the most revolutionary technology of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Educational Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Educational Technology","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/educational-technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3264,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2013\/01\/16\/bbc-news-viewpoint-computer-code-frees-us-to-think-in-new-ways\/","url_meta":{"origin":4571,"position":1},"title":"BBC News &#8211; Viewpoint: Computer code frees us to think in new ways","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"January 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"BBC News - Viewpoint: Computer code frees us to think in new ways. Very well said. There's lots here to like and agree with: To date the reasons behind the changes have seemed very skills-based, as if instilling particular skills will lead to growth in business and the economy. Really,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/computers-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6240,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2016\/05\/27\/worth-sharing-donald-clark-plan-b-why-the-tablets-in-schools-debacle-is-over\/","url_meta":{"origin":4571,"position":2},"title":"Worth Sharing: Donald Clark Plan B: Why the tablets in schools debacle is over","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"May 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When will they ever learn? Had I said that iPads in the the schools were not the answer four years ago at the height of the love-affair with the iPad, I'd have been thought a crank. Wait, I DID. More than once. (For more, just try the iPad or iStuff\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"iPad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/2012-02-16_22-14-28_img_20120216_221429b-300x244.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4656,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/01\/18\/yes-women-do-code-but-hardaway-still-misses-the-point\/","url_meta":{"origin":4571,"position":3},"title":"Yes, Women Do Code \u2014 But @hardaway still misses the point.","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"January 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Her attempt at an apology just digs the hole deeper. Yes women do code. And I have found them all this week, for which I am grateful. Hardly (on both points I expect). I am on the board of a STEM charter school, and when I see the public schools\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/computers-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Businesswoman looking at computer Credit:   Tetra Images","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Fig12-22-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5836,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2015\/10\/02\/worth-sharing-why-schools-are-increasingly-neglecting-introverts\/","url_meta":{"origin":4571,"position":4},"title":"Worth Sharing: Why Schools Are Increasingly Neglecting Introverts","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"October 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For many students, quiet time is key for the learning process. The way in which certain instructional trends\u2014education buzzwords like \u201ccollaborative learning\u201d and \u201cproject-based learning\u201d and \u201cflipped classrooms\u201d\u2014are applied often neglect the needs of introverts. In fact, these trends could mean that classroom environments that embrace extroverted behavior\u2014through dynamic and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Academia&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Academia","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/academia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3208,"url":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/2012\/12\/04\/learnlets-vale-david-jonassen-a-sad-day-in-ed-tech\/","url_meta":{"origin":4571,"position":5},"title":"Learnlets \u00bb Vale David Jonassen : A Sad Day in Ed Tech","author":"Katrin Becker","date":"December 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"It's curious how hearing of the passing of some people seems to hit hard, even if you've never met them I never got the chance to meet David, but I think Ed Tech has lost someone important. Learnlets \u00bb Vale David Jonassen. This is from Clark Quinn's Blog: David Jonassen\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Computers&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Computers","link":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/category\/computers-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4571"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4578,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4571\/revisions\/4578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/minkhollow.ca\/beckerblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}