WY Ed Tech Cowboy: The Power of Code
Jordan O’Donnell
Teacher Jordan O’Donnell shares his experience using CodeHS to teach programming for the first time. Jordan teaches at the Wyoming Girls School in Sheridan, Wyoming. His passion is working with students and exposing them to 21st century tools to help them have a successful future. Jordan and his wife Ashley have one child, Raymond, a couple of cats, and 50 cows. Find the original post on Jordan’s blog here.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why it took me so long!
Well, I do know why. Coding is not something that is easily picked up and taught at the drop of the hat, much like any other subject area. Not having a background in computer programming was probably my biggest mental hurdle. Whether it was a legitimate hurdle or not is another question, but it was a hurdle nonetheless.
Over the last year, my school participated in the Unjammed Blended Learning Initiative put on by CEEAS. The tools and ideas that I gained from attending the 4 day camp in July were worth their weight in gold, but it didn’t stop there. Throughout the year, CEEAS has provided us with access to a number of tools, to me the most valuable being Code HS. What is nice about Code HS is that a user doesn’t need a background to teach it. It allows me to learn right alongside my students. Equally important, it allows me to FAIL in front of my students. I live by the mantra, FAIL FORWARD. Part of life is failing. What many of my students haven’t learned is that failure can be a good thing. It will make you a better person in the long run. It’s part of the learning process. Part of coding is failing. The next step is figuring out where you messed up, and fixing it!
It wasn’t until my students began working on the curriculum 3 weeks ago that I truly saw the power of coding. I wouldn’t say I was apprehensive at first, but I was unsure what my students would think of coding. None of them had any experience in coding or computer science. That uncertainty was confirmed the first day of class. When we were beginning class one student asked, “What do we do in this class? I hate computers!”
After about a week of working through the course, and working through the kinks, something changed. The more they got into the class, the more they enjoyed it. They got more comfortable and really began to see what they could do. I had one student tell me she likes it because it is almost like meditating. In an environment that is very structured she can get on the computer and control something, and just be with herself.
As for the student who on the first day “hated computers.” yesterday as she was working on a problem as class was about to finish, she wouldn’t log off. I reminded her the bell was about to ring and she throws her hands on the air and shouts, “YESSSS!!! I wasn’t going to leave the room until I finished that problem. I don’t care if it took all day. “ And as we were getting ready to roll for the day today, she rubs her hands together and quietly says, “let’s do this!”
Code on!
Find the original post on Jordan O’Donnell’s blog here.
