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• New class at middle schools to help prepare next generation of computer programmers
by Jim Boyle
Editor
The Elk River Area School District will begin preparing the next generation of computer programmers when school begins next week.
Sixth-grade students across the district will take computer coding instead of the 21st century skills class this school year, and the school district’s manager of instructional technology, Troy Anderson, reported Aug. 18 the district has selected a ready-made program called Tynker.
Anderson said the educational software was chosen for a few reasons, including the short window for creation of a class and because teachers who would be teaching the class have not taught coding before.
“The curriculum is all laid out for us,” Anderson told members of the Elk River Area School Board.
Tynker has found a way to make teaching of the topic much easier than the traditional computer programming methods, Anderson said.
The Tynker program uses visual blocks and then transitions from the icon-based method to JavaScript when they are ready, according to the educational software company’s website.
“Tynker’s language extensions, built-in physics engine, animation libraries and character editors provide an excellent outlet for kids to unleash their creativity,” the program’s website states.
Anderson said the course will be a great help to students’ educational careers and future.
“The marketplace has changed drastically,” he said. “Kids need to understand this … so they can be creators of technology and not just passive users.”
Tynker is aligned with four strands of International Standards for Technology Education. They are:
•Creativity and innovation.
•Communication and collaboration.
•Critical thinking and problem solving.
•Digital citizenship.
And while the curriculum is mapped out, teachers have been given the flexibility to move at an appropriate pace for their classes.
“Teachers will modify and adjust,” said Anderson, who noted Elk River is out in front of other Minnesota schools.
Minnetonka is offering coding at the elementary school level this year, but it’s not required, Anderson said.
Out in Silicon Valley, meanwhile, “parents are knocking down the door for this,” Anderson said.
More than 8 million children and 10,000 schools use Tynker to learn programming through:
•Online interactive courses that allow kids to learn programming at their own pace at home.
•Curriculum and classroom management tools for schools and districts.
•Mobile applications for the iPad and Android-based tablets for kids to learn through puzzles and build their own mobile games.
•Instructor-led summer camps and after-school clubs for kids to collaborate.
Anderson expects kids to be a little uneasy at the start of the class, but to become more comfortable through trial and error.
The district administrator also anticipates teachers someday offering their students an opportunity to put on a coding fair.