Hour of coding

When I was in school there was a huge push to get students excited and interested in the STEM field. I think that there was one day out of the whole school yeah that we did some coding in middle school. It was fun but I personally got bored with it, but others in my class were very interested and loved it. Even though I was not interested in it I wish that they offered it as a class so that my classmates who enjoyed it could have the opportunity to learn more and grow.

While on code.org I played the game code with Anna and Elsa where I learned how they make them go forwards, backwards, make circles, trapezoids, and snowflakes. There were 20 levels so it was kind of a lot to do and on some of the levels it was harder to figure out than others. Although I got frustrated while doing the game after I finished each level I felt very accomplished. And although I was glad that I beat each level it did not make me feel that I wanted to do it again or play a different game. For some students I'm sure they would love this and play very often and while this does need to be added into the curriculum it should not be forced upon students. Also with this game specifically, it said that it was for students who are in 2nd grade and higher, and something I thought of was that because it's Anna and Elsa many younger children would want to do this game. And because it was difficult many can become frustrated and disinterested in this topic. It is important though that we don't do this and make sure that we are picking activities that students in our classroom can do and aren't too difficult but also not too easy for them.

If I were to do this in a special education classroom then I would have them do this with partners so that they can help each other and solve each levels problems. I think that it is important to have all students try coding no matter their ability because you never know what is going to work for some and not for others. Many students with disabilities can gain just as much as those without disabilities. There are so many positive outcomes when it comes to coding, for example, all students learn team work, problem solving, and how to persevere.