►Back to the eEdition eXtras index
![]()
Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support. FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 26, 2014 Computer coding gains status as a vital part of education, even in some elementary schools![]() ![]() Identify coverage of a product or service that depends on coding. Do you use it or want to?
![]() Now look for an article that mentions a business that depends on programming or other technology skills. List why a career in that field does or doesn’t appeal to you.
![]() Pick any education-related item and tell whether it could affect you now or in the future.
Computer science instruction used to start in high school or college, which now seems like Education 1.0. Programming lessons are becoming more common in elementary and middle schools, causing concern about whether creative thinking, social skills and interest in the arts are hindered by a growing focus on technology among young students. "A child should be developing basic human skills," writes PC Magazine columnist John Dvorak. "Being hunched over a computer screen coding in some kiddie language to supposedly develop computer literacy is insane." Coding classes at all grade levels are growing at Internet speed across the country, according to Code.org, a teacher-training group backed by the tech industry. New York, Chicago and about 30 other districts will add classes this fall, including in lower grades. A few states consider programming instruction equivalent to basic math and science, rather than an elective. Some parents see coding as a life skill that could become a passionate interest and open doors to jobs in engineering or other tech careers. "I took my first class in the fourth grade and I wish I had started sooner," says seventh-grader Becky Button, a FIRST robotics team member at Caroline Middle School in Milford, Va. "If kids learn to code, they will understand the language that is shaping their future." In grade schools, basic instruction is combined with video games. Pupils first move basic command blocks to get an Angry Bird to its prey. Later they learn about commands like "repeat" and about "if-then" statements, an elemental coding concept. Skeptics see the activity as playtime that's unlikely to teach actual programming skills. No research yet confirms whether early exposure to technology helps with later academic and professional success. "Put down the gadgets and let children interact with their parents, teachers and the world without a screen in the way," California author Jim Taylor writes in reaction to New York Time coverage this months.
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024
Front Page Talking Points Archive►Turning point: Supreme Court says presidents have 'absolute immunity' for official acts ►First Biden-Trump debate of 2024 airs Thursday from Georgia ►Health experts monitor the jump of bird flu to cows and a few farm hands, but see no wide risk ►Negro Leagues stars from a bygone era gain new standing in Major League Baseball records ►Justice Samuel Alito adds two flags to Supreme Court ethics storms ►Use of new weight-loss drugs soars among teens ►Needy families await action on bill to restore federal internet service rebates ►U.S. government may challenge concert business dominance of Live Nation and Ticketmaster |