Can they really do that?

Code Club Australia

• Sponsored by Telstra.
• Provide resources to help teachers teach kids to code.

Digital Natives

Nobody is born understanding technology. We need to be given the tools to enable us to fly.

• Orphans - given technology devices and are not provided any assistance. become consumers. Not providers.

• Exiles - not given technology until they are older. Scarred of technology. No skills, have no idea what to do.

• Heirs - parents working with them, teaching them. Working with them from an early age.

We have to work with the parents. Scary isn’t it?

Australian National Curriculum Technolgies Syllabus

Years:

• F-8: coding mandatory.
• 9-10: elective.

Digital systems. We have to plug things into the computer. Have to use the appropriate device for the problem.

Skills required by 2030:

• Date.
• Coding.
• Project Management.

NSW is behind other states.

Design and technologies.

Up to year 2:

• Choose right system for task. Camera, printer, etc.
• Use robotic toys to navigate a map.
• Keyboards not required.

Year 3 and year 4:

• Introducing coding.
• Hands on keyboard. If/then.
• Project management. Break down big problem.
• Design solutions using visual programming languages. Scratch, etc.

Year 5 and year 6:

• Use text based programming languages instead of visual.
• Students doing project management on their own.
• Kids don’t know how to work together. They need help on this.
• Students need to know how to use productivity suite software.

Year 7 and year 8:

• General purpose programming languages.
• Accessibly design.
• Increasingly complicated algorithms.
• Decompose problems.
• Create interactive apps, animations, simulations.
• These kids are bored with life. Have to make it interesting.

Year 9 and year 10.

• Markup language and style sheets.
• Complicated algorithms and modular functions.
• Data driven website against criteria to ensure it meets stakeholders needs.

Not every student will want to do this, however we need to give all students the opportunity.

Learning through projects and doing stuff. As opposed to checkboxes or more traditional computer science approaches.

Australia Stem Video Game Challenge.

Scratch HTML5 support in development, will work on IPAD.

Microsoft MakeCode. Minecraft educational edition.

Scratch Jnr.

Your Role

• We need community to help teachers.
• Code club needs volunteers.
• Mentor future coders.
• Donate some resources.
• Make some relevant real and visually pleasing projects for 12-14 year olds.

Moonhack

3 projects.

https://moonhack.com/

Conclusion

• Every subject should have a coding/science component.
• It takes a village to raise a child.
• Confidence in young children.