One of the most important functions of Education Technology I have come to realize is preparing students to use Technology in productive ways that will make them successful humans after (and perhaps during) their K-12 educational experience. I attended a technology club at a high school in our district and was so impressed with the enthusiasm of the students who came to learn and experience writing computer code.
Seeing how excited these kids were to collaborate and create something in this mystifying language was truly inspiring. While it was extremely cool to witness such enthusiasm for learning, I couldn't help but think about the kind of trajectory these experiences were placing on the students at this activity. More and more industry is focused on technology and in innovation and engineering solutions that drive the other industries. Being able to write and manipulate Code has become a skill that is in high demand these days. Many companies have reported that they have a difficult time finding employees with these skills. The public schools are now being approached by companies who would like their core instruction to include computer programming. This means that the tools to learn these important skills have never been more accessible. Websites like code.org have made lessons that are easy enough for a young elementary student to begin dabbling in the exciting world of computer coding. Plural Sight is a Utah company that has offered its free educational opportunities to schools in the area. They came to the technology club activity I mentioned earlier and taught the students. I'm not a computer programmer, but I know where to find the tools to help kids get started and that is really empowering!
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