Cracking the code

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This article was published 14/09/2015 (3701 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a world where smartphones and tablets are everywhere, Lorie Battershill was surprised that so few students knew what make the ubiquitous products tick.

“Kids are users, using computers as an appliance,” Battershill, teacher-librarian at Chief Peguis Junior High (1400 Rothesay St.), said. “They don’t have any idea how it works, they’re removed from that.”

Thanks to Battershill, Grade 6 and 7 students at Chief Peguis are now getting a taste of the coding world. Last December, students at Chief Peguis took part in the Hour of Code, a series of one-hour computer science tutorials designed to be undertaken by tens of millions of students worldwide.

“It’s a really an amazing kind of thing,” Battershill said. After seeing the success Hour of Code enjoyed, Battershill said Sue Reynolds, vice-principal at Chief Peguis, approached her about developing some programming.

“I was like, ‘Yay!’” Battershill said. “I’d been looking for an opportunity to look further into this.”

Battershill proposed a 20-hour extension of the Hour of Code program for Grade 6 and 7 students, which would be taught throughout their regular class rotation this year.

“There’s a lesson plan, a video to show you what needs to happen,” said Battershill. “Everything is right there.”

Students learn the basics of coding first hand, from introductory theory to block work, where they drag lines of code in blocks to accomplish certain objectives, and on to looping, debugging, and conditionals (“if this, then that”). Throughout, Battershill can track their progress online. If students are particularly keen, they can login at home or during lunch break.

“Some people just have a knack for it, like some people have a knack for music,” she said.
While opening the eyes of students to what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ of the digital world is one object, Battershill said it is also a great opportunity for students to get a taste of coding early to see if it is something that interests them further.

“By the time you’re in high school, you’re not going to sign up for a programming course if you don’t know what it is,” she said. “There are just way too many options.”

Battershill has been familiar with computer programming for years, as her son developed an interest when he was a student at Maple Leaf School (251 McIvor Ave.). He now works as a computer programmer, so Battershill has seen the career opportunities available in that field first-hand.

She said she was surprised to learn how far behind students in Canada are in computer literacy, compared to other western countries.

“Why are we lagging so far behind?” she wondered. “We talk about reading as a type of literacy, we talk about numerical literacy. This is a kind of literacy that is just emerging.”

Battershill is hopeful that introducing students at this early age will encourage more to pursue computer sciences.

“Hopefully we can get some buzz going in the division and start going more in that direction,” she said.

Take a look at www.code.org/learn to read more about the Hour of Code and other related digital literacy education programs available online.

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