Coding for Kids Bar Camp
Liveblog of the Coding for Kids bar camp. Hosted by @wearecaper and @rewiredstate. Thanks everyone for coming! Don't forget to add you pledges to the wiki by 5 November: http://codingforkids.org/wiki/Main_PageAlso, follow the debate on Twitter: #codingforkids and @codingforkids.
- Lots of people gathering at King's Place for the Coding for Kids Barcamp. There is beer! There are post-it notes! There are people with stickers on. But more importantly, you can add your comments to the hashtag #codingforkids
Speakers are @campbellhowes, @torgo and @webponce.
@hubmum and @katybeale are kicking things off ... reminding everyone to add to the wiki, and asking everyone to make a single commitment, and add it to the #codingforkids tag before 5 November.
@torgo talking about his experience of learning to programme (you kids don't understand us >> 20 GOTO 10 RUN!) and the way the magic of the Internet changed all of that. His kids now think about computers as a consumption device - Moshi Monsters, TV, *sometimes* researching for homework. How can they get into making apps and thinking about computers as making devices. Getting them into LEGO Mindstorms, but there aren't enough kids' resources out there to make it really playable. Lots for tinkerers and grown-ups, though. How can we get the new generation to think about the web as creation medium - and what resources can we offer parents to help them do that? And - yay! - what can we get Vodafone to do?
@campbellhowes talking about her first exposure to coding and how that started her career as a games designer - addressing the importance of acquiring skills and sharing skills between us. Talking about teaching a 13 year old to code and how it needs to come from the school as much as it does from home - lots of kids will rebel from what their parents want them to do. And how computer programming can have an image problem with girls - but if we give kids exposure to these skills, they have the opportunity to use them and discover the potential.
@webponce talking about growing up as a content creator - growing up with a Broadcast Journalist dad and learning how to splice audio tape together as a child. Never think that making things is weird! But what sort of world will our children grow into?
"We're a transitional generation ... despite all of these things being bleeding edge, we're frustrated by them." - and what will our children make when they're 15, and start to be frustrated by that technology?
Things the children of the future might do include ...
have a mindset of show and tell rather than privacy - how does knowing your manager will google you change your actions in life? A shift away from physical objects and location. Hyper-partial attention. Is the idea of a beginning, middle and end too analogue? Or is this all a relic of our analogue minds?
Important to foster an idea of CREATION and not just consuming. "Q: How many children does it take to change a lightbulb? A: why a lightbulb?!" - ACTIONS FROM THE BREAK OUTS
LEGO session - Go home and do one thing with your kids tonight! It's about time together with your kids. WHAT CAN THE BBC DO NOW?
What's the modern equivalent of the Micro? Is there an opportunity for a new TV series? A training course, with badges and certificates? But we live in a different time now, so is it relevant? But the BBC could now release data to do with each TV series. ---> Let's get an Arduino into EastEnders!
Who is the Brian Cox for Computing?
Artificial Intelligence
Are schools the right place to do this? If this won't help tick school boxes, will they be interested?
Coding Cadets in Sheffield - run by Ian Ibbotson - this rocks! More of this, to get kids coding out of school hours to rival football etc.
SCRATCH
SCRATCH is a LEGO-like interface for building 2D animations and games. Low floors, wide walls, low ceilings. Lots of different media and a little can go a long way! Easy way in for primary school students AND FOR TEACHERS!
Also --> WaterBearLang, Alice, AppCreator
Computational Thinking
Is there an innate aptitude for computer programming? Can it be taught at any level? Computational thinking is an important skill, without always being related to mathematics.More resources for parents - useful resources for kids and parents - some useful links on Emma's blog.
How can we make Academies engage more with coding? Some discussion that it's not just about teachers but also about parents. Lots of teachers aren't coders, so how do you enable them to be coachers - give them the best resources so they can facilitate. Don't give teachers lesson plans.
LINKED DATA AND THE HUMANITIES
Teachers would love to do more web and computing stuff but they are having trouble keeping up with admin
Is it too restricted to STEM disciplines - should we get it involved in other areas - arts
How can we get more arts and cultural orgs thinking in this way?
MOBILE PHONE CODING
Lots of kids have smartphones - can we get them Android coding? $80 android phone available for Xmas this year - what tools can be used to encourage kids to programme for them?
