Information Technology Education

Fascinating article I just read that I wanted to share... What is code?  by Paul Ford  Read HERE Love these quotes: " Code has been my life, and it has been your life, too. It is time to understand how it all works." " The code is the art." " Every day is Arbor Day in Codeville." The whole article reminded me of one of my third grade students.  A few years ago, when she first started coding, she was struck by the realization that if she understood how computers think, she can show them how she thinks.  

Since the Nepal disaster, I was seeking for ways to bring this into my classroom and when I came across the Amplify Challenge, I had found it.  The Refugee Education Challenge calls for us to tackle the following issue found here : How might we improve learning and expand education opportunities for refugees around the world? I thought this would be a powerful way for my students to connect on a visceral level with the events occurring not only in Nepal, but in warzones and other disaster-hit zones.  For them to see that not every child has access to a free, high-quality education is eye-opening and for them to see an opportunity to contribute their ideas even more so.  This was a novel experience for them to apply the concept of human-centered design to a real-world issue.  The first step?  Researching and brainstorming solutions to one of five challenges facing refugee education: 1.  Supporting teaching and learning 2.  Vocational training and entrep...