{"id":1459,"date":"2014-05-12T13:56:19","date_gmt":"2014-05-12T17:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/?p=1459"},"modified":"2014-05-12T13:56:19","modified_gmt":"2014-05-12T17:56:19","slug":"kids-learn-computer-coding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/1459\/kids-learn-computer-coding\/","title":{"rendered":"Kids learn computer coding"},"content":{"rendered":"
Classes added at all levels as engineering, tech job beckon.<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0MILL VALLEY, CALIF. \u2014 Seven-year-old Jordan Lisle, a second-grader, joined his family at a packed after-hours school event last month aimed at inspiring a new interest: computer programming.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m a little afraid he\u2019s falling behind,\u201d his mother, Wendy Lisle, said, explaining why they had signed up for the class at Strawberry Point Elementary School.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The event was part of a national educational movement in computer coding instruction that is growing at Internet speeds.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Since December, 20,000 teachers from kindergarten through 12th grade have introduced coding lessons, according toCode.org<\/span>\u2009 , a group backed by the tech industry that offers free curriculums.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0In addition, some 30 school districts, including New York City and Chicago, have agreed to add coding classes in the fall, mainly in high schools but in lower grades, too. And policymakers in nine states have begun awarding the same credits for computer science classes that they do for basic math and science courses, rather than treating them as electives.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0There are after-school events, too, like the one in Mill Valley, where 70 parents and 90 children, ranging from kindergartners to fifth-graders, huddled over computers solving animated puzzles to learn the basics of computer logic.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0It is a stark change for computer science, which for decades was equated with trade classes like wood shop. But smartphones and apps are ubiquitous now, and engineering careers are hot. To many parents<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 particularly ones here in the heart of the technology corridor<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 coding looks less like an extracurricular activity and more like a basic life skill, one that might someday lead to a great job or even instant riches.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The spread of coding instruction, while still nascent, is \u201cunprecedented \u2014 there\u2019s never been a move this fast in education,\u201d said Elliot Soloway, a professor of education and computer<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>science at the University of Michigan.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0He sees it as very positive, potentially inspiring students to develop a new passion, perhaps the way that teaching frog dissection may inspire future surgeons and biologists.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0But the momentum for early coding comes with caveats, too. It is not clear that teaching basic computer science in grade school will beget future jobs or foster broader creativity and logical thinking, as some champions of the movement project. And particularly for younger children, Soloway said, the activity is more like a video game<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u2014 better than simulated gun-play, but not likely to impart actual programming skills.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Some educators worry about the industry\u2019s heavy role: Major tech companies and their founders, including Bill Gates and Facebook\u2019s Mark Zuckerberg, have put up about $10 million for\u00a0Code.org<\/span>\u2009 . The organization pays to train high school teachers to offer more advanced curriculums, and, for younger students, it has developed a coding curriculum that marries basic instruction with video games involving Angry Birds and hungry zombies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The lessons do not involve traditional computer language. Rather, they use simple word commands \u2014 like \u201cmove forward<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201d or \u201cturn right\u201d \u2014 that children can click on and move around to, say, direct an Angry Bird to capture a pig.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The movement comes with no shortage of \u201cwe\u2019re changing the world\u201d marketing fervor from Silicon Valley.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u201cThis is strategically significant for the economy of the United States,\u201d said John Pearce, a technology entrepreneur.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0He and another entrepreneur, Jeff Leane, have started a nonprofit, MV Gate, to bring youth and family coding courses developed by\u00a0Code.org\u00a0<\/span>\u2009 to Mill Valley, an affluent suburb across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Parents love the idea of giving children something to do with computers that they see as productive, Pearce said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u201cWe have any number of parents who say, \u2018I can\u2019t take my kid playing one more hour of video games,\u2019\u201d he said. But if the children are exploring coding, the parents tell him, \u201c\u2018I can live with that all night long.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0The concept has caught on with James Meezan, a second-grader. He attended one of the first \u201cHour of Code\u201d events sponsored by MV Gate in December with his mother, Karen Meezan, the local PTA president and a former tech-industry executive who now runs a real estate<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>company.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Her son, she said, does well in school but had not quite found his special interest and was \u201cnot the fastest runner on the playground.\u201d But he loves programming and spends at least an hour a week at CodeKids, afterschool programs organized by MV Gate and held at three of Mill Valley\u2019s five elementary schools.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Computer programming should be taught in every school, said Hadi Partovi, the founder of\u00a0Code.org\u00a0<\/span>\u2009 and a former executive at Microsoft. He called it as essential as \u201clearning about gravity or molecules, electricity or photosynthesis.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Among the 20,000 teachers who\u00a0Code.org\u00a0<\/span>\u2009 says have signed on is Alana Aaron, a fifth-grade math and science teacher in Manhattan. She heard about the idea late last year at a professional development meeting and, with her principal\u2019s permission, swapped a two-month Earth sciences lesson she was going to teach on land masses for theCode.org\u00a0<\/span>\u2009 curriculum.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0\u201cComputer science is big right now \u2014 in our country, the world,\u201d she said. \u201cIf my kids aren\u2019t exposed to things like that, they could miss out on potential opportunities and careers.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Students and parents learn programming basics at a free event put on by\u00a0Code.org\u00a0<\/span>\u2009 at an elementary school in Mill Valley, Calif. An accelerating national push to emphasize computer science in schools has included child-friendly coding lessons.\u00a0JASON HENRY \/ NEW YORK TIMES<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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By Matt Richtel\u00a0<\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/div>\n
The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Sunday, May 11, 2014<\/div>\n
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CED Solutions is a Cisco Learning Partner, Microsoft Gold Learning Partner and the #1 location for Microsoft Certifications in North America for the last 6 years combined.\u00a0 CED Solutions is a\u00a0CompTIA Partner, EC Council Partner, and many others\u00a0and is one of the largest providers of training in North America.\u00a0 The\u00a0Atlanta facility provides IT training<\/a>\u00a0for up to 300 students per day, with\u00a0separate buildings dedicated to training. CED Solutions provides training for up to 10,000 students per year and students take up to 800 certification exams every two weeks.<\/div>\n
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CED Solutions<\/a>\u00a0provides training and certification for\u00a0MCSD: SharePoint 2013 Applications Developer<\/a>;\u00a0MCSE: SharePoint 2013<\/a>;\u00a0Cisco CCNA<\/a>;\u00a0Cisco CCNP<\/a>; Cisco CCNA Security;\u00a0Cisco CCNP Security<\/a>;\u00a0 Cisco CCNA Voice;\u00a0Cisco CCNP Voice<\/a>; Microsoft\u00a0MCSA: Windows 2012 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCSA: Windows 2008 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCSA: SQL 2012 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCSE: Business Intelligence SQL 2012 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCSE: Data Platform SQL 2012 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCSE: Desktop Infrastructure Windows 2012 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCSE: Server Infrastructure Windows 2012 Server<\/a>;\u00a0MCPD: 6 Cert Visual Studio Developer<\/a>;\u00a0MCSD: Windows Store Apps C#<\/a>;\u00a0MCSD: Windows Store Apps HTML5<\/a>;\u00a0IT Healthcare Technician<\/a>\u00a0and many more.<\/p>\n

CED Solutions, LLC,\u00a0www.cedsolutions.com<\/a>,\u00a0info@cedsolutions.com<\/a>, (800) 611-1840<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Classes added at all levels as engineering, tech job beckon. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0MILL VALLEY, CALIF. \u2014 Seven-year-old Jordan Lisle, a second-grader, joined his family at a packed after-hours school event last month aimed at inspiring a new interest: computer programming. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m a little afraid he\u2019s falling behind,\u201d his mother, Wendy Lisle, said, explaining why they had signed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":0},"categories":[6,7,12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1459\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cedsolutions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}