The Quickest Way to Learn Problem Solving: The Hour of Code

A buzz filled the air as I looked around my computer lab. Some students were so enamored with their work that they could not take their eyes off their screens. Some were excitedly pointing to other students' windows, sending helpful hints, explanations and sometimes just telling the answers. Despite the occasional cries of frustration, my students were hooked.

The Hour of Code was working its magic. 

Last month, all 269 of my Computer Applications students participated in The Hour of Code. While I was excited that my students were learning this key 21st Century skill, I was more enthralled by the metacognitive opportunity that these brilliantly crafted tutorials offered.

If you haven't hear of it, The Hour of Code is learning disguised as a bunch of games. Crafted by some of the top computer science minds and funded by a plethora of foundations and big names, the program is designed to help students independently acquire an understanding of the syntax and fundamentals of coding. After completing a series of tasks, students are presented with a certificate of completion.

Although it is not marketed as such, The Hour of Code is also a metacognitive gold mine! After my students completed the program, they were asked to reflect on the following two questions:

I ask questions like these after each and every unit. Most times, I get surface answers that lack serious reflection or insight. However, to my pleasant surprise, The Hour of Code lead to very different discussions.

After meeting with all 12 of my classes, the same strategies and themes emerged. They were compiled into the following chart.

(Brittany Spatz, 2014)

These strategies are sophisticated problem solving and critical thinking tasks, requiring that students work at the highest levels. These tutorials pushed my students to use the skills we use when we face real-world problems. Finally, The Hour of Code encouraged ownership of independent learning, while still allowing for collaboration.

Simply put, my students learned everything they need for life in just one hour. 

As I compiled the student reflections into our anchor chart, I found myself coming back to two main questions:

Question 1:
Why was it so much easier for students to identify patterns of thought when talking about coding?

I have many theories about this one, and I invite your input as well, but I have come to the conclusion that students find it easier to think about their own thinking when they don't think that they're learning... did you follow that?

In my masters classes, we have explored using video games in the classroom to facilitate conversations about thought, problem solving and critical thinking. As someone who was forbidden from having video games as a child, this option has never really appealed to me. However, there is no doubt that The Hour of Code, like video games, offers students similar situations.

Students are using complex skills without realizing that they are. This makes it less threatening and less confusing to explore their own movements.

Question 2:
How can we capitalize on this?

In our classroom, this chart has become a touchstone, an anchor lesson. We refer back to it often. We use it to provide us with the vocabulary and skills for learning anything new.

Moving forward, I can't help but encourage ALL teachers to try the Hour of Code. Teachers do not need ANY coding skills. They just have to be able to have their students get to code.org, and let it work its magic.

Then, teachers can step in and talk about what they know best: how we learn, how we solve problems, how we overcome obstacles, how we persevere.

Next year, I plan on starting the year with the Hour of Code, using it as the cornerstone of our class.

How will you incorporate this amazing resource?

How Are You Learning?

Over the past few weeks, my colleagues and I have spent a majority of our time discussing educational software, hardware and web tools. We have shared top resources, analyzed assistive technology, discussed potential pitfalls, and explained the systems our schools have in place to help teachers learn new programs.

However, there has been one, overwhelming sentiment that has arisen after each conversation:

WE NEED MORE TRAINING. 

Post after post, comment after comment, this theme rang true. So the question is:

WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL DOING TO HELP TEACHERS LEARN? 

At Frelinghuysen Middle School, we have a few key programs in place to help teachers acquire the necessary skills and exposure that help ensure the successful implementation of technology, (thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Educational Computer Specialist, Chrissie Flanagan).

FMS's Tech Programs

WEEKLY EMAILS -- FMS TechGoodies Update and Honorable Mentions
Every Sunday night, Chrissie sends out an e-mail with a number of new programs that teachers may be interested in, new applications that may help with our Chromebook 1:1, Atomic Learning tutorials that teachers may enjoy, and interesting IDE Portal PBLs. Chrissie then provides our staff with a brief explanation of each of her links.

PINTREST
As of this year, all the e-mail links bring us to Chrissie's Pintrest Boards! (Follow her!!) This has helped teachers access more specific content or explore new resources.

TECHBYTES
Since it is obviously not enough just to provide links, last year, in-house professional development was offered during our prep time. Chrissie would select key resources or topics, and present them throughout the week on a voluntary basis. This allowed us to go when we had a chance--if Monday didn't work, we went Wednesday. It also allowed teachers to attend the sessions that made the most sense for them--accounting for differentiated levels of teacher ability. These sessions also cleverly featured tasty treats--get it bytes, bites--which were an added bonus! (Learning + Eating = My Kind of PD!)

TEACHER ACADEMY 
Last year, our school also began taking advantage of a Teacher Academy, allowing expert teachers to provide peer-to-peer professional development. This has been a great way to build technology confidence in our building, showcase teacher-leaders, and--most importantly--expose our staff to a wide range of new information.

FMSCHAT
When I was first hired, once a month teachers participated in a focused Twitter chat run by our instructional leader. I loved this, but it lost steam following Hurricane Sandy. Hopefully, we can bring this back as a backchannel for professional development. Many of us also use the hashtag #FMSchat when posting relevant information on Twitter. (For examples, follow @BrittSpatz).

OLD SCHOOL SHARING
FMS has an incredible culture of sharing. It is deeply embedded in the norms of our building, but if I had to pin-point a specific reason for this, it would be that each week, teachers who teach the same grade and same subject meet in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The PLC format prioritizes collaboration as the foundation of successful teaching. (I also love the academic atmosphere that it fosters, encouraging constant learning and growth.)

After learning from the work that our ECS is doing and in the spirit of some good ole sharing, I'm attaching my Top 10 Web Tools infographic. Please feel free to use, share and reproduce. 

Click on the infographic to see it on the web.

SUGGESTIONS??
What does your school do to provide the professional development that is imperative for successful tech implementation? What do you want to see from your schools? Please feel free to share your ideas below! -Brittany

What thousand words?

Yesterday, my students began presenting their Visual Autobiographies. After dedicating weeks to creating these intricate and complex infographics, it was finally time to reveal them. But this wasn't like other presentations; this presentation was silent. The stage was already set with the visuals, now it was up to the viewers to analyze and synthesize the presented Visual Autobiography. The viewer was the ultimate authority, writing the story based upon interpretation, having the final say.

My 6th graders struggled analyzing their friends. They focused on the surface. "Matt loves his dog. He spends time with friends and family." They caught the main ideas, but were stuck on the literal, on the true subject of the image.

The 7th graders were starting to get it, beginning to realize that these images told deeper, more complex stories. They began connecting the dots: "She is artistic. She has a good relationship with her family. Went to Paris. Loves to travel. She is adventurous. Went to Venice." They dug deep to make strong inferences: "Grace is happy with herself and her life. She has siblings, one sister and brother. She loves them a lot. She has a dog which she loves a lot and likes animals. She is clumsy and broke her arm by having fun on a bouncy ball. Grace in on the swim team and enjoys swimming with friends. She is a shining star." 

But the 8th graders, well they just could not be bothered by this activity. This answers fell flat. They lacked the depth that their life experiences had given them. "He has two sisters and one brother. He likes the beach. He plays baseball. He likes to watch baseball. He likes batting. He likes technology. He has an iPhone." 

I was stumped.

Could it be that they did not see the bigger purpose? Did they not understand that they were training themselves to be critical readers of the world around them? Of the images they are bombarded with each day? Of the binaries, stereotypes and social constructions that run our world?

Yesterday, I stumbled upon the incredible series by Joel Pares called "Judging America". This breathtaking collection photographs successful men and women in two juxtaposing portraits: one an authentic, natural portrait, and the other a stereotyped portrait, highlighting and showcasing the most prominent social construction applicable to that person.

Yesterday, the words of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED talk "The Danger of a Single Story" echoed in my head. She reminded me of the importance of learning the stories of many, not just those in power or those we want to hear.

Today, I refocused my efforts to help my 8th graders--and all my other students as well--learn how to read images. If we want to avoid dangerous stereotypes and assumptions, we must teach students how to examine these ideas, teaching them to question the truths they have come to believe. These are not fairy-tale skills; they are essential, necessary to the creation of a fair and just society. If we want students to understand multiple stories, they must know how to read the ones that they are given, in order to find or appreciate others.

Today, I seek your help. What are you doing to help your students develop their visual literacy? How are you challenging students to question the images in their lives? How do you help students avoid stereotypes or single stories? Comment below to help add to our pool of resources and ideas. 

Tomorrow, we can begin to make changes. As teachers we can and should:

-Avoid single stories of any group

-Discuss social constructions with our students

-Teach students about binaries and hierarchies

-Provide students with the skills to break down images, not just texts

-Show students examples of artists and activists who are positively combatting these notions

-Ensure that we are not contributing to any single stories or perpetuating social constructions

Our world and well being depends on this.
-Brittany