Coding allows students to create content, not just consume it. Coding empowers students and give them tools to express themselves in really cool ways. Coding teaches storytelling with games …
Source: 10 Reasons to Teach Coding – #Sketchnote by @sylviaduckworth
President Obama wants kids to learn to code. So much so, he’s pledged billions of dollars to teach them.”Now we have to make sure all our kids are equipped for the jobs of the future – which 
means not just being able to work with computers, but developing the analytical and coding skills to power our innovation economy,” he said in his radio address on Jan. 30.And adults are looking to learn, too. Coding academies, or “boot camps,” are cropping up across the country, promising to teach students to code in a few months or even a few weeks.But computers are not just about coding. There’s also a lot of theory — and science — behind technology. And those theoretical concepts form the basis of much of computer science education in colleges and universities.
Source: Should Computer Education Cover More Than Just Coding? : NPR Ed : NPR
COMPUTER CODE UNDERPINS many aspect of our lives. Usually we know exactly what we want that code to do—but what if we didn’t? This is the question posed by Los Angeles software artist Casey Reas, who employs code to form abstract, bewildering, and literally unexpected creations.Reas received his MS from the MIT Media Arts and Sciences program, where he focused on “Behavior Computational Sculpture.” When he graduated in 2001, he transitioned to a career in graphic design. But he soon began fusing the two disciplines. Today, his artwork reflects that fusion. Each of his pieces begins as a logic-based system. He describes that system in code that translates it into a visual, digital form. Then he fine tunes the results; he doesn’t know exactly what he’ll get the first go-around—which he says is the beauty of it.
Today’s Ideology (26 July 2015) from Casey REAS on Vimeo.
Source: Why Use a Paintbrush When You Can Make Mind-Bending Art With Code? | WIRED
The projected number of job openings in 2018 for STEM fields will reach 2.8 million. Of these, approximately 1.4 million jobs will be for computer specialists. Like many other STEM fields, the current demand and supply are mismatched, as computer science career openings outpace students’ skills and interest. Also, like many other fields, computer science interest starts long before a student decides on a major or even applies to college. How do we prepare students for the amazing opportunities that require
Hello Ruby is the world’s most whimsical way to learn about technology, computing and coding. We are all about curiosity, playfulness and logic.We provide tools for kids, parents and educators to learn to understand programming in a fun and creative way. Our story starts off with a book that is now published in Finnish, English and Swedish. It will also be published in at least Korean, Japanese, Latvian, Polish and Dutch. The book made its debut on Kickstarter in 2014 and quickly smashed its $10,000 funding goal after just 3.5 hours and gathering 380 000 dollars in total funding. Hello Ruby is the most funded book on Kickstarter’s children’s book category.Ruby’s story continues online with exercises. We are also working on a series of small apps on computational thinking.
Source: About | Hello Ruby
Beetle Blocks is a graphical blocks-based programming environment for 3D design and fabrication.Use code to control a beetle that can place 3D shapes and extrude its path as a tube. Then make a 3D print!
Computer Science for All is the President’s bold new initiative to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators in the digital economy, not just consumers, and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world. Our economy is rapidly shifting, and both educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that computer science (CS) is a “new basic” skill necessary for econom
Founded during the summer of 2013, ProjectCSGIRLS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gender gap in computing and technology. Our unique idea of a technology and computer science competition for middle school girls stemmed from the fact that a large chunk of learning and development occurs during the critical middle school period. In today’s world where technology is becoming increasingly prominent and essential to nearly every field of study, we aim to instill a love for computing and technology in middle school girls. We hope to show them how innovative and creative they can be and encourage them to develop ideas that are powerful, disruptive, and cutting-edge.
Source: ProjectCSGIRLS – Home
Kaleigh Clary, a computer science graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, drove down to offer a day of free work for the American Museum of Natural History.
Why?
“Dinosaurs, man,” Ms. Clary said.
Computer programmers, it appears, like dinosaurs, a lot.She was one of almost 150 people who gathered for the museum’s “Hack the Dinos” challenge in November to create software tools to help dinosaur scientists.
Source: ‘Hack the Dinos’ Helps Paleontologists – The New York Times
