So, today was the first FULL day of TeacherCon in Atlanta. The long term goal… to get computer science to impact as many students as possible. The short term goal… to get the 500 or so teachers here on the same page and running with the CS Discoveries curriculum. The steady flow of coffee certainly helped keep us fueled and learning.
Maybe you haven’t heard… but computer science is struggling play catch up in school. For years, technology has been advancing, but our educational institutions have not kept up with the pace. The result, we are woefully short on qualified job candidates for computer science and coding careers. The sad part… this is a field where pretty much anyone competent to code can get a job quickly, and make good money. Continue reading
Every educational technology conference that I have ever been to has an exhibit hall. We often see the same vendors at several conferences. Sometimes we have the privilege of seeing something new, and the AETC conference was where we stumbled upon Birdbrain Technologies and repurposed Pop Tart boxes. Continue reading
This summer, my daughter was blessed with the opportunity to attend a summer girls coding camp at Mississippi State University. The university dubbed this camp Digital Divas. To say it was a great experience for my daughter would be the understatement of the year.
Coding. English teacher. You might be wondering how in the world these two things remotely go together. Well, in my case, they go together after school in the form of our newly formed Commodore Coding Club. Continue reading
Minecraft. That one word can evoke a wide range of reactions. For some, that reaction borders on hostile. Many react by ridiculing those who love the game. For me, it is an ever-changing reaction.
My daughter first started playing Minecraft about three years ago, more or less. When she started, it was very basic. We all played together, building grand houses and that was about it. She stuck with it, though her love of the game went through it’s own sort of metamorphosis. Now, she has exceeded the practical abilities of her tools.