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Cambridge, MA—MIT is in the midst of a $1-billion effort to reshape how it teaches computer science, in what some say may be a model for other colleges. But the effort has has also drawn protests by some students and professors, who are questioning how well ethics will be integrated into the effort and are criticizing the influence of a controversial donor.
Those mixed feelings were on display this week as the university hosted a three-day celebration of its planned College of Computing. The event included a back-flipping robot modeled on a cheetah and other marvels of digital engineering, as well as planned appearances by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. It also sparked protests by students and professors, including a “teach-in” questioning how well ethics will be integrated into the effort and criticizing the influence of a controversial donor.
Two big ideas drive MIT’s new college. First is that MIT needs far more computer-science professors to meet the demand by students and researchers. Second, coding is no longer a department to put off in a corner, but a toolset that can be applied to every academic discipline. And that means making sure everyone writing computer code also pays attention to the cultural and ethical implications of their tools, the effort’s leaders say.
“It’s turning computer science into a lingua franca,” said Sanjay Sarma, vice president for open learning at MIT, in an interview. “I think students will soon all learn English, Spanish and Python.”
Via John Evans
"Coding is one of the most crowded categories in edtech. And while there are a ton of great tools for students of any ability level, many of these tools have hit on the same formula. So whether you’ …" - Hardware hacking: Pi-Top and Piper
- Realistic, cross-disciplinary game design: Zulama
- On-the-go learning: Grasshopper
- Virtual reality storytelling: CoSpaces
Via Leona Ungerer
This December will again host the Hour of Code, a one-hour introduction to programming designed to demystify the subject and show that anyone can be a maker, a creator, and an innovator. Last year,…
Via Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa) , Bruno De Lièvre
Our mission is to equip, educate and empower canadians to thrive in our increasingly digital and global economy.
Via Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa)
"Is science a creative endeavor? Yes! However, most people don't think so, so our science classes are typically deficient in creativity ..."
Via Leona Ungerer
"If we want students to be well prepared for the 21st century, then we should be teaching coding in school ..."
Via Leona Ungerer
Primo was founded in the summer of 2013 with a view to improve the way technology and science is introduced to children through tangible play. Our first product launched with a successful Kickstarter campaign on the 22nd of November 2013. We will be forever grateful to our backers. Our growing team of creators and technologists is now working on building a new generation of open tech toys to help children learn, play and create with technology. ...
Via Jacques Urbanska
Après le succès du premier Cap Digital ID (Cap Digital Inspiring Day), qui a rassemblé 200 participants autour d’une vingtaine de démonstrations, nous vous proposons une seconde édition, toujours dans cet esprit de partage et de communication, en toute simplicité.
Pour cette deuxième édition, nous avons choisi une thématique d’actualité du pôle, avec le prochain lancement de l’Educalab, structure d’innovation dédiée à l’Education, portée par Cap Digital et soutenue par la région Ile de France (inauguration prévue le 03/03), ainsi que l’actualité nationale de la Semaine de l’Industrie, qui nous permet de donner une résonance plus large au Cap Digital ID, et nous offre l’opportunité de nous rapprocher de nos voisins de l’Ecole ISCPA spécialisée en journalisme, communication et production.
Cette deuxième édition sera donc organisée autour de la thématique de l’Education au sens large (outils, logiciels et contenus pour l’éducation et la formation numérique, edutainement, seriousgaming, learning analytics, …)
Via Jacques Urbanska
Over 300 events are scheduled to take place in 20 countries all across Europe! A new music festival? No! It's the European Robotics Week 2014.
Via Gust MEES
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Everybody needs a hobby, so it's said. But even if you're busy enough as it is (and what teacher and student isn't), you can still benefit from exploring this list of creative hobbies for building critical thinking skills. Some of them you may already be doing. If not, consider starting out with one that interests you. Learn about it as much as possible before you dive in—creative hobbies can grow to be more than just a hobby if they resonate with you.
Via John Evans
Maker Inspiration-WHERE to GET Information to Stay Informed? Well, you jumped in into the world of makers (OR want to do SO soon...) and you feel comfortable with it? You found out THAT it is important to learn about THAT movement as it brings out creativity and a BETTER understanding in EDUcation WHEN… Learn more / En savoir plus / Mehr erfahren: https://www.scoop.it/t/21st-century-learning-and-teaching/?&tag=ARDUINO
Via Gust MEES
This December will again host the Hour of Code, a one-hour introduction to programming designed to demystify the subject and show that anyone can be a maker, a creator, and an innovator. Last year,…
Via Tom D'Amico (@TDOttawa) , Caperucita Feroz
When it comes to preparing your children for the future, there are few better ways to do so than to help them learn to code! Coding helps kids develop academic skills, build qualities like perseverance and organization, and gain valuable 21st century skills that can even translate into a career. From the Tynker blog, here are the top 10 reasons kids should learn to code:
Via John Evans, Linda Foote
"Young people should learn to code. Young people should also have fun. Here are nine systems, programs, and websites that will help you help them do both ..."
Via Leona Ungerer
News that Microsoft is buying MinecraftEdu and beefing up the classroom version of the insanely popular game got us thinking about all the great ways educators use Minecraft to teach everything from math and social studies to team building and cell biology.
"As an educational tool, Minecraft is a wonderful platform for learning," says Pam Simon who runs an after-school program called Fidgets2Widgets that has incorporated Minecraft since 2013. "You have to have mathematical understanding to build sound structures. Architecture and design features allow for innovation. Redstone in the game acts as the electrical circuitry system, so you can run minecarts, light torches, and create pressure plates."
Read these six articles to get ideas for using Minecraft to engage students in deep leaning in your classroom, school or program.
Via John Evans, Linda Foote
If you take a look at my LinkedIn profile, you'll see that I have been working at lynda.com for almost five years at the time of this writing. I am the type of person that likes to stick his nose in all facets of the business to develop a full-picture of what I'm working on, so as you may imagine I developed strong opinions about education in this time. I'd like to share them, but first a bit about my personal education background in order to give a little context.I have been developing profes
Via Bobbi Dunham
"What do you think of when you hear the word "collaboration"? Do you associate it with the frustrating clunkiness of trying to synchronize everyone's work? ..." - Padlet
- TitanPad
- Whiteboard
- Twiddla
- Quick Screen Share
- Firepad
- Flask
- PlanLeaf
- Doodle
- Diagrammr
Via Leona Ungerer
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Scooped by
juandoming
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CS First is a free program that increases student access and exposure to computer science (CS) education through after-school, in-school, and summer programs. All clubs are run by teachers and/or community volunteers.
Our materials:
are completely free and available online
are targeted at students in grades 4th-8th (ages 9-14)
can be tailored to fit your schedule and needs
involve block-based coding using Scratch
are themed to attract students of varied interests
There are hundreds of programming languages and tools, but only a few are truly designed for learning programming. Programs written in Java, C++, Visual Basic have challenging “syntax” and they are usually run inside complex “development environment” products, such as Microsoft Visual Studio or Eclipse – widely used by experienced software programmers, but not all that great for just getting started.
There are also products to create programs that tell a story or show animation, but they focus on “drag-and-drop,” not on writing code – and that’s what makes Phrogram different. It’s built on the idea that programming means knowing how to write source code, which is not as hard as it may look! With a concise syntax and easy-to-use toolset, along with dozens of sample programs, Phrogram is real programming that’s really fun.
Via Jacques Urbanska
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