I've been trying to decide on some electives to teach for next year at my new school here in MO. The asst. principal gave me the freedome to choose elective topics, but kept hinting that there should be a webpage programming class. I've tried to stay away from that topic, because frankly I've never taught an HTML class before. Then I got to thinking, why do we want kids to learn HTML anyway? Most of the web content that middle school kids are used to dealing with on a daily bases is dynamic in nature and utilizes programing languages like PHP, JavaScript, Flash, XML, etc. To be honest, I know how to use these, but have no clue how to program with them. After updating their profile in Bebo, watching videos on YouTube, and playing the latest MMORPG, creating a static webpage would be pretty boring.
So the big question is, should we be teaching students to code pages or should we be guiding them to create effective online content?
Chances are students, or adults for that matter, will spend more time online producing content than they will be formatting that content.
This may be the fundamental challenge that needs to be met head-on. What skills do students needed to be equipped with to maintain a steady view in such a rapidly changing technological environment?
- Collaboration--Can students interact with one another to complete tasks? Can they compromise or even disagree in a God pleasing way? Can they work with someone they don't know? See?
- Information Literacy--This is different from technology literacy. Technology gets you TO the information, but is that information accurate? Reliable? Is the source of the information credible? Can students understand the graphs, charts, or any other ways information or data is presented to them?
To see more specifics about of 21st Century Learning Skills Check out the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
This is a change for me as a technology coordinator or teacher, because it no longer is about the technology, but about teaching pedagogy! It's not about the tool as much as it is about what teachers are doing with it.
Yikes! Where not asking teachers to add new pieces to their all ready full tool boxes, but we are telling them they need to change the way they teach!
What do you think about that?
3 comments:
Maybe you could offer a webpage creating class. Only show them the html they really need to know, which on today's internet is very little. Adobe has a nice suite of apps that would probably serve students better. So much is WYSIWYG anymore. I only show 7-12 how to hyperlink anymore. The big thing will be to convince the principal. I didn't know you were moving. My kids had such fun...lets do that again next year. There are several ways we can connect, I'm sure we'll think of something!
I teach coding as an introduction to web pages, and here is why. First, our students understand web pages and web page features, so they can more easily make the transition to content creation. Second, HTML and browsers allow for immediate feedback for students. They can quickly see whether their code worked or whether debugging is necessary. Thirdly, and most important, coding teaches important problem solving skills -- skills which are useful in just about every academic discipline. If the syntax is off by just one character, the page may not work properly. Having the persistence and work ethic to correct an obscure error is an important discipline to develop, especially since creative problem solving skills are also a tenet of the 21st Century Skills report you cite. Therefore, in the end it isn't about the HTML, but the larger skills that HTML can help teach.
I agree with Dave's notion that teaching problem-solving skills is important to the 21st century student. I differ in his thinking that web design/HTML is the place to teach coding or programming. First, HTML is becoming a relatively old markup language (XHTML is the next step toward a new generation of markup languages). Secondly, many of the more valuable programming skills that would support the teaching of problem solving can't be taught with HTML (e.g., looping, variables, etc.). Thirdly, people are developing applications that are making it rather easy to create your own web site without the hassle of learning a language (see Google's Page Creator and iWeb). More easy-to-create-your-own-website tools will be a significant subset of the newer Web 2.0 apps coming in the near future.
I'm not advocating the elimination of teaching website design - in fact, I feel strongly that website design is a critical 21st century skill. And I do believe it can be used to reinforce problem solving skills. I just would avoid the suggestion that it would accomplish the goal of teaching coding or programming skills unless you delve into things like Java or Ajax that would be beyond what's appropriate for most elementary students.
I also have found that with junior high students, I can get them going in web design without teaching it as an elective or a unit in computer class if: 1) I give them a reason to do it ("present your research in the form of a web site"), 2) set appropriate expectations, 3) offer scaffolding experiences, and 4) offer them "just-in-time" support. Kids are just picking these skills up a whole lot faster than previous generations of students.
So which tool, if not HTML, do we use to teach programming? Rob mentioned ALICE and LEGO Mindstorms. Maybe Scratch or MicroWorlds. But my larger concern is that we don't just teach the programming in isolation, but in the context of other curricular goals, as I think both Rob and Dave have suggested in their own words. Just like the way I teach web design skills "just-in-time", I'd apply the same four-point standard in the previous paragraph to the teaching of programming skills within other curricular areas.
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