“Code” by Michael Himbeault is licensed under CC BY 2.0 Retrieved here.
If you haven’t done so already, please view the video and complete the Activity #1 (part 1) poll on this page first.
Activity #1 (Part 2) – Comment
Everyone “should learn how to program [code!]” – Steve Jobs (1995).
Add a comment here (using the comments box below) about your thoughts of Jobs’ view that everyone “should learn how to [code].” Do you think this view does or doesn’t hold relevance to post-secondary or professional education today (or the market itself)? Perhaps elaborate why you think so. If at all possible try to provide resources or links that help support your view (and to help add value to our OER). If you were undecided, feel free to comment instead on others’ thoughts about this, or post any unanswered questions you might have. Be sure to check back to engage in comments and questions that might be added to your responses.
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I do think that it is necessary for younger generations to learn how to code if they want to be able to compete in the modern marketplace. University graduates who have no practical experience with programming languages will be at a massive disadvantage in both commercial and STEM-related fields. Also, from the week 5 interview with Jared Lanier, it appears that those who do not have the ability to code are increasingly at the mercy of those who do, and this trend will likely continue.
Thanks for your comments Chris, I can certainly see how this might be critical to STEM education. The sentiment you mention is also expressed in our video http://met.bgraphicstudio.com/code/code-market/ at about 1:54-2:20. Would you say you agree with this view? It does appear to be a prominent view for programmers. I wonder have you yourself encountered any instances where the ability to code (even if just a little) has been present in your work? The lines are a little fuzzy here. HTML for instance, is technically a “markup language” and not a programming language (though there’s an ongoing debate about this because of the new HTML5 features and the the mingling of web languages with programming languages). If you’ve ever set a mouse-over animation in Moodle for instance, you’ve used an interface-mediated type of Javascript without knowing it.
I don’t think it holds relevance because of the context in which Jobs was speaking; he said that everyone should learn to program or take a computer language course “because it teaches you how to think”. There are many other ways to develop critical thinking skills. Learning how to code will give someone an understanding of some challenges programmers and computer engineers have to face, but to be a successful entrepreneur does not require those skills. An essential skill set would be the ability to accurately assess talented and convince that talent to come work for you. In the same interview he also said that, “You can learn business very fast – it’s not rocket science.”
My final point (that’s been documented) is that while working for Apple, Jobs never wrote code:
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-never-wrote-computer-code-for-apple-2013-8
Thanks for your insights on this Jonathan. I don’t think an entrepreneur necessarily needs to know how to do everything himself…
Do you think this view is relevant for students at all? I’ll be very curious to see if your opinion of this change at all as you progress through the OER. Please do let us know! 🙂
I think that from the standpoint of a technical career, or to succeed in corporate culture it is important to understand and learn code (especially in professions like systems support, digital animation or programming). We live in an industrial nation and employment these days are harder to come by so we need to compete on a global scale. Along that same vein, I do not think that one should seek employment or push for it on the basis of learning only one “hard skill”. Coding is certainly one “hard skill” that is currently in demand but the importance should lie in a persons ability to integrate all technical skills, not just coding.
Bobbi, your point about navigating Moodle with a mouse-over animation meant that the person interfaced in Javascript. I use Moodle with my high-school students and was unaware of this point as I am still learning about Moodle and what it can offer.
In regard to the use and understanding of coding from the standpoint of a high-school student, I think it is important for them to learn if they are seeking employment in industries that require this hard skill but need to integrate all the skills they will need in their highly digitized new learning environment they are growing into.
There are also numerous companies now that offer mid-career professionals the ability to pick up this new skill. One such company is Treehouse. The link is as follows. They offer free 14 day trials but a subscription if one wants to learn how to build a website, computer language terminology and coding.
https://teamtreehouse.com/subscribe/plans?trial=yes
While my hat is forever off to Mr. Jobs, I do not agree with his point. I believe that opening your mind to different ways of thinking is very valuable, of course, and thinking like a coder, or a lawyer certainly adds depth and perspective to one’s abilities. But, we live in a community. I need to live in a house, but that doesn’t mean I need to know how to frame a house, or even build one. I can still be a very active and contributing member of my community and not have these skills, and benefit from the knowledge and ability of others with these skills. I might live in a world now, where I shop and bank online, but I don’t need to know how to code for that. In fact, most programs are coded so that they can be used very effectively without a knowledge of coding (kinda like how I’m adding to a webpage right now with zero knowledge of code). If a student is looking to continue onto a specialized field of science, engineering or math, they will absolutely need an understanding of coding, but that isn’t a path for everyone, and I think one can do just fine without it.
Thanks for very good points and the reality scan. I completely share that opinion and prediction, and also would add the following feelings about the impact and essence of the enhancing coding skills, starting at elementary and secondary levels.
The Internet of things is behind the corner, so let’s get ready to take full advantage of this, otherwise somebody else will do!
It is unbelievable that graduates of a number of STEM programs did not move further from basic curriculum and assignment enforced coding skills. Let’s tell and argument everybody that coding is not only for computer science, math and physics geeks and nerds, but IMHO, it is going to become the one of the mainstream skills as the vital part of incoming digital literacy, essential for handling the Internet of Things. Any other viewpoints and/or predictions?
Regards,
Milorad
I was researching Steve a few times, and would prefer to understand and formulate the statement that “he never wrote code” differently, such as:
Steve was always a few steps forward, in the business and technological sense, thanks to the fact that he was a big visionary, not tweaker, but inventor who was “so many steps ahead to be easy followed”. Steve actually did not need to work with elementary code, he had greater things to think about, than to drill and spent his precious visionary time while writing and testing the code.
Furthermore, what I understood, Steve was supporting coding as an essential alphabet and a part of the massive digital literacy development, leading to discovering and differentiating the higher percentage of huge talents in the coding, as well as other STEM fields, necessary for “materializing and further developing the visions” that Steve had and lived for.
Don’t we see, learn, research, lobby, document and argue nowadays that “improving general digital literacy skills everywhere and for everybody is a must in 21st century” is actually basically the same philosophy that Steven was pointing to and popularizing in the 20th century, some 35 years ago?
Believe it or not, soon, (at least basic) coding will become one of the basic digital literacy skills!
Please let me know if I am not on the right track.
Regards,
Milorad
Back in Grade 8 I had built an Angelfire website about my favourite music. I taught myself how to use HTML to make hyperlinks, add images, etc. Sadly, most of the content doesn´t show that well now, but web archive from 2000 saved an okay version of it at http://web.archive.org/web/20010625202714/http://www.angelfire.com/sc/silversmash/ – not bad for a 13 year old in the 90s! Another example of a band fan page I made: http://web.archive.org/web/19991012070622/http://www.angelfire.com/sc/silversmash/NT.html
Knowing how to use HMTL was something that has always interested me because it is logical. I used to work at a web development company and without any coding skills, my HTML skills still helped me to edit the site content and layout using the CMS. If there was a problem in a website, I liked being able to look at the HTML to try to find out what is wrong and then fix it. However, I don´t feel that I need to know how to code anything because there are many sites that do it for you now, so most of the coding is done by programers who make the front-end of their work user friendly. WordPress, Weebly, and Wix are great examples of this.
I think it depends on what you want to do. I don´t think everyone needs to learn coding, but I do think it is a useful skill, as is learning any new language! I think it is a good way to teach logic and problem solving skills, but there are many ways to do this. Perhaps that is the same point Jobs was trying to make when he said that all students should also study law. These types of skills are universal and can be taught through coding and law. The main arugment is that we need to teach critical thinking skills.
Hi Milorad,
I think that coding already is a digital literacy skill. However, it will most likely always be a specific one that isn´t relevant to everyone (depending on the specific language). I would argue that more basic literacy skills such as being able to navigate any type of website is more of a universal skill than coding. I notice that sometimes students go to a site and don´t know where to click to get where they want. This is a lack of digital literacy that urgently needs to be addressed. It means that despite all the information available online, there are people who don´t know how to navigate it. Most sites and software use similar navigation and images, so even if you are new to that particular site or product, if you are digitally literate, you know how to use it as soon as you open it. What are your thoughts on this?
Ashley
Those are some great points,thanks for sharing your view on this! 🙂
I’m glad that this topic has sparked such a faceted conversation. One of our horizons is about code potentially becoming “smarter” so that people don’t have to learn how to code in order to it. Interestingly, sometimes when we use complex technological objects, it is referred to as programming (programming the TV/Satellite, the TIVO the VCR, the phone etc.); perhaps there will come a point in evolution of code some day, where the act of programming for the end-user becomes that easy. Food for thought?
Ha! That’s awesome, thank you for the terrific links Ashley. It is actually really cool to look back on code-related projects. There are actually a number of times and places where knowing a bit of HTML or HTML5 that can benefit educators everyone (including educators). CMS/LMS systems often have extra Javascript, PHP (and HTML) features for tweaking or doing extra things in the back-end that many people never try to extend/improve the content experience. It usually doesn’t require a lot of effort, sometimes just the smallest snipet of code can make all the difference. Code resources can often be found more readily on the internet then many other kinds of resources. It’s quite interesting to me that when we refer to “learning code” that people tend to view this in totality, as if it must be learned in it’s entirety to be of any use. That is rarely the case, it is segmented, graduated, and faceted in nature, not always an all-or-nothing proposition. I don’t think that everyone has to learn how to do it, but I do think that the number of instances is steadily increasing where an understanding of code or basic programming logic arises in our daily lives. It is an interesting movement.
Bobbi, yes, that is true. There are always add-ons that you can benefit from if you know at least a bit. I guess you could call that conversational fluency in coding? Often we just need enough to ¨get by¨ in any language to make life easier when traveling or meeting people from different backgrounds, perhaps we can say the same with coding? It´s not a must-have, but it is a nice-to-have!
Bobbi, I think you make a good point, and yet, your point makes me think about the fact that I know how to use a TV, TIVO, DVD player, Phone, etc, but I have NO IDEA how to make my own DVD player from scratch, or how to create my own operating system. Why do we find this natural, and yet there is a conversation right now about the need for learning how to code? Perhaps I am reaching a bit here, but I think it is an interesting point to consider.
Hi Group 1,
Great topic!! I love the topic of coding and I did my big project last semester on the “Hour of Code” initiative that took place all over the world but originated in the United States. I know you specifically asked about post secondary and professional education, but this is something that should be integrated in our curriculum at the elementary level in my view!! Why shouldn’t students know how to create a website, Wiki or blog using code? They can certainly learn and there are many easy ways for them to start thinking about it at a young age. Check out code.org for more information. And here is the video promoting the Hour of Code: http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc which takes the Steve jobs quote a lot further (although you will be happy to know it starts with that quote!). At a post secondary and professional level I think that this means that people will be expected to do more in their jobs. I am starting to see more IT responsibility being given to those outside the IT department. Now that IT is integrated everywhere, the department is busy doing important things (big programming and network projects) and the more mundane tasks are given to others. For example, in my workplace, I am able to update our website, and I think this is great. Although it is very simple at the level I am at and there is no coding involved (it is like posting on this website) this is an example of something people rely on me to do. I think education will need to start integrating this into the curriculum. It has adopted technology in so many ways, but not so much coding. I think it is the missing link and I can’t see any harm in learning to code – maybe it can replace cursive writing, I hear that is leaving the curriculum!
That’s actually a really great way to think about it. I like that term of “conversational fluency” we might end up using that somewhere! 🙂
Thanks Danielle. We came across Hour of Code during our research as it seems like a fantastic initiative. I’m glad you mentioned it, because we struggled in restricting resources that were terrific like this, simply because of the market segment focus. I do think movements like this will have an important impact on the future of post-secondary and professional code education. It’s really interesting that you’re seeing the ‘overflow’ of technical work due to IT department integration. I hadn’t thought about how the increase of IT would affect this change. This could actually provide opportunities for students to gain code related work experience in some areas! 🙂 Ps. Great video, it actually makes a good case for why learning just a little bit of code can have such an large impact later on. The section of whiteboard planning at 1:03 is a great example of how everyone can plan a program (using fundamentals) without having to code all of it. There’s a lot of room for new drag-and-drop programming initiatives, which would be quite cool.
Thanks for your interesting points.
Yes, coding is already an mid/advanced digital literacy skill, but I was predicting that due to the essential need to feed IoT research, development and service, and furthermore mass and popularize it has to be shifted into the basic digital literacy domain. Even though nowadays, the line between scripting, coding and programming is quite blurry, soon all those 3 skills will become quite an essential part of digital literacy.
I myself am more on the scripting and programming side, but all those 3 skills are quite interwoven and essential.
Hi Week 7 Team, realized after looking through your OER you already mention Treehouse. Well done! Really enjoying your OER website and layout, very well-organized. I’m learning a lot about coding.
I am a fan of Steve Jobs and as indicated by previous posts, he was certainly ahead of his time and didn’t need to understand basic coding. I find it interesting that some countries, ie. UK “Your Code” for Activity 2 are already ahead of the game implementing educational legislation for their learners to understand code.
Being a science and math educator myself, I am in agreement with KBurden, an overall understanding of coding is necessary but not for others pursuing other career paths or who have interests in other fields not in need of the skill of coding.
True. However, employer expectations are changing. More and more there is a demand for highly flexible individuals who can fill many roles. I had never been exposed to code before I started the work that I am doing now. As our department begins to reorganize, our leaders are looking at keeping individuals who can fill many roles as their demand change. I wonder if it is a survival of the fittest type skill? Maybe not required, but it does set you above the rest .
I would LOVE to see my children learning code instead of cursive writing!
Jonathon, I agree with you.
I think that building skills in interdisciplinary fields is super important, having critical thinking skills and an ability to engage in diverse communities ideal. Certainly code is relevant to life today, but I think specifically when it comes to code it is not an inherent skill fundamental to our knowledge base, but rather is driven by interest as well as skill sets and therefore those who are keen to learn it will enjoy it.
There are so many levels of literacy, ie. digital literacy for which I do not believe is a core skill set that everyone must have.
Wow, what an in-depth conversation already going on here. I have to admit when I first watched the video, my first reaction was that it is necessary for post-secondary students to know how to code. I believe coding is one of those skills that is able to set an applicant apart from the pack in a job interview. As Chris mentioned earlier, given the current market place/demand, this is an important skills set to have. Additionally I know my father’s company has always struggled to find “good” coders and programmers. I put “good” in quotations mostly for the idea that often times they are excellent at their job, but tend to bounce around and there are not enough that are well rounded candidates.
However, in reading through other responses I started to change my opinion. In my workplace its not a requirement to know code and I get by. I have used quite a few free websites – such as Weebly or WordPress and have been able to produce a webpage that offer far more than what I have been doing in a classroom. But then again if I did know how to write code perhaps I could do more than what I’m limited to on a free website. I’m definitely feeling conflicted.
I do agree that not everyone needs to learn how to code, although, it is like learning another language. It would probably come in handy some day. I think everyone should learn to speak another language and that everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to code. I do teach my students the basics about setting up websites, blogsites and how to use learning platforms, because these are things they may need to know in the future. At the very least, it is opening them to different opportunities and experiences. I think students need to be exposed to different opportunities to make informed decisions about their futures. Learning to code may help them to learn how to think in different ways. Don’t we want to stretch the minds of our students? I agree with some of the others that coding should start at a much younger age. We start teaching french in at least grade 4 and not everyone needs to learn french. Perhaps we should introduce coding at a younger age also, in order to better prepare our youth for the future.
I agree that coding is a skill that people in the developed world should have. It is like reading skills for computer users. If we don’t have an understanding of how programs work, we will inevitably use what is being provided for us without question. We will not have any say in what programs we get to use or how those programs work. If people have a basic understanding of code, we will be better informed.
Thank you Bobbi,
I do realize you were focusing on more post-secondary and professional education, so it makes sense that the code.org was not on there. They did have some really interesting stats that i would love to point to but we can’t upload images to comments (can we?). One of them is a really great chart showing that there will be 1 million IT jobs MORE than people to fill them in the United States alone by 2020! As you mentioned, there are also very few females in this industry. I think that a huge part of what will make coding accepted by younger generations is it’s popularity and potential for glamorous jobs. Many people who have created start up companies that resonate with kids and have become wealthy are seen as superstars. They are glamourized, and even if we don’t know their names, we still know that the creators of Instagram for example will never have to work again in their lives (if they don’t want to). There are also TV shows covering this industry more and more and I think awareness and the “coolness” factor will influence kids. We just need to get them more exposure.
I’d have to disagree, I don’t think everyone needs to know how to code. Sure, it may be useful if you choose to go down that career path, but at the end of the day, if the computer can do the things we need to it to do then why question it? I don’t lose sleep over my lack of understanding behind my microwave having the power to heat up my food (I still find it fascinating how it does this)– as long as it’s functioning I am happy. So all in all, if someone’s interested in coding or jobs related to that, I think they should learn how to code, but if they don’t really care, then why bother?
Thank you for your comment. Yes, we are told that we need so many types and levels of literacy recently. In digital literacy, 21st century literacy and so on, perhaps there are some bottom foundation knowledge that would cover the whole picture of today’s literacy. You raise a good point, whether coding is related to the foundation knowledge or just a skill on the surface level.
In the UK, code education will be integrated in the curriculum nation wide from this coming September ( as written on the “Open Trend” page http://met.bgraphicstudio.com/code-education/market-trends/). Next year, perhaps we should keep an eye on other countries’ attitudes responding to the result of the UK experiment.
Thank you Anne, for your comment. Interesting metaphor that coding resembles learning another language. When it comes to language education, it is often mentioned that “golden age” is critical period when little children absorb language naturally, and if we miss that stage, learning becomes more difficult. While there are some good platforms teaching code by playing for young children, there seems to be no shared research-based strategy for teachers to teach code in their classes. Some of you in our classmates who teach younger grades might be interested in doing experiments in this area?
I have to say that I agree with Job’s view that everyone should learn or in my view, simply “experience” code. Thinking of terms of education today, one of the key benefits of coding is the problem solving skills that are developed in the process of coding. I also believe that the instruction of coding should begin at a very young age. A fantastic article that I came across discusses why code should be taught in school is found here: http://webdevs.co/3-reasons-why-coding-should-be-taught-in-schools/ The timing of this topic for me could not have come at a better time with regards to something that happened this week regarding working on a template website for a friend that is completely separate from the MET program. My friend wanted a sound effect to play once the site is launch and I had used a basic free basic drag and drop website builder. There was no way to simply drag and drop the sound effect so I decided to see if I could embed some html code on the start page. Knowing nothing about coding, I decided to dive into it and see if I could figure it out. What happened next was a vortex of “Vegas Time” (A reference where no clocks are visible and you do not see the transition from daylight to nighttime just like in a Vegas casino.) where I spent the next number of enjoyable hours trying to get the effect to work. Each attempt involved a little tweak here and there and even thou at certain times I was frustrated, I felt very focused and that I was learning something and that was exciting. Once I was successful with making the sound effect work I felt immense satisfaction and a desire to learn more about coding. When time loses all meaning the engagement level is usually very high and I think this is very applicable to self-guided learning in many educational contexts.
Thanks for your response. I respect your disagreement and your rationale, though I have feeling that your perception of coding and knowing how to code emphasizes high professional skill level of coding, and you do not see your self there.
If you navigate to Year of code.org and go to Moshi Pong page and try recoding the game, you’ll see that it is much easier than you think. It is quite different and easier now in this era of visual coding languages, that it used to be 25 years ago, when I practiced BASIC 1-4 and wrote hundreds and thousands of those boring lines of the code to get a simple game to work.
Try Java or any other of the visual programming languages, and I bet you’ll be intrigued.
Regards,
Milorad
Steve Job’s point is interesting and has some merit. Being how to structure ideas logically is an important skill, even your not a programmer. I think we use the term ‘logic’ or ‘logically’ rather loosely without considering what it means or how one idea can be perceived as logical while another is not. Programming relies on this, but it is something that can be learned as well through the study of law or philosophy. Jobs is referring to coding not so much as an employable skill but rather as an intellectual discipline. As a skill, its becoming increasingly relevant to know and many of tools we use on a day to day basis are the product of a programmer. Being able to understand how this is made possible connects us closer to the technology and makes it accessible. We run the risk of having a society where many individuals have no idea how other parts of it work. For example, stop 3 random people on the street and ask them to explain how the Internet works or even what it is. I’m suspect you will get three different answers. Learning to program shines light on the mystery.
Best Wishes
Maxim
I agree with Steve Jobs in that people should understand the complexities of code. However, I don’t think it is something everyone should learn. I think that people who want to build websites and applications should work with people who are skilled in the area. The standards and the industry moves so fast that it is difficult for people to keep up with the changes unless it is their full-time job. I think that many people like the final result of coding (apps and websites and UI) but few really appreciate the complexities and the effort that goes in behind the scenes of this beautifully designed workflows and visuals.
Sorry I am a bit late to the discussion and I am reading through your group’s site (which is great by the way!!) in order of activities. Things are moving towards greater simplicity for end users. I compare the experience of making a website just six years ago when I started teaching to present day. It is SO much easier to create a site with very limited coding skills that still has a great deal of functionality and doesn’t look terrible!
I think that coding skills are incredibly useful especially as job descriptions become enlarged and demand for such skills increases. However, I think we need to be cautious in defining what coding skill is. My partner is a programmer and he has mentioned in passing how many people feel that they have coding skills but they often lack the larger experience/understanding that is necessary to create clean, efficient, scalable, maintainable programs.
Hi Danielle, you bring up some interesting points. I do think there may still be some stigma surrounding the understanding and relevance of “code” and “learning code”. With our growing global market the flux and growth of technological jobs in the future, a more prominent number of females should pursue professions that require this need. I can recall when I was applying to university that there wasn’t a large population of females pursuing engineering at the time. There were numerous programs that our high-school sent us on to promote a greater understanding of engineering, math and science with the hope that many more of us would pursue those fields. When the film Facebook emerged Mr. Zuckerberg, many of my high-school students then realized the implications of creating their own company at a young age or became more accepting of the knowledge he had to create the site. The “coolness” factor will certainly become more prevalent as the need for these types of skills grow and kids realize the employment potential of having these skills.
Nice discussion here. You both bring up some very interesting points. Anne, it’s wonderful you can already start teaching the younger aged students about websites, blogging and other learning platforms. Are your colleagues able to do the same? Are all your learners within your school benefiting from this? I think it is really important for us to be consistent. In Activity #2 for this weeks activities, the UK is implementing nation wide an educational platform to teach all kids ages 5-12 about coding. Its a wonderful national initiative that Canada should implement as well. I do think that it we must be consistent across age groups and grades, similar to how we have curriculum set up to ensure that all kids provincially and Canada wide, learn the same skills, and subject matter. It would be great to do this for and start with the kids at the elementary level. So many of them already have far greater skills and knowledge than their own educators. We also need to stay current and catch up as well. I’d also agree with your comments that we should broader the minds of kids from a young age, but we can do so also with other “hard skills” too, not just exclusively coding but other skills they need to integrate within a technological world that they will encounter more as they age. I would be interested in any changes our province takes and Canada as a whole in creating or starting programs for learners in the elementary panel up to secondary.
Hi Milorad,
Are there any other coding languages that you would recommend or programs that you find that are easier to navigate besides Java that you mentioned? I think to some degree, coding requires a certain level of patience and not necessarily a high professional level of skill but not all coding languages are cut and dry? or are they? Depends on which perspective you come from or to the level of expertise of coding one wishes to have?
Hi Chad, thank you for the article, was a very interesting read! I liked your anecdote about learning code to benefit your friends website. I am also unfamiliar with coding within today’s standards beyond the drop and drag, having only some experience with it. You make learning code sound very rewarding, although frustrating at times but the benefit in problem solving skills so relevant and pivotal, especially for our students. I think this is what our students would feel if interested in learning code, exemplifying helping our students not what to think but HOW to think. Great that you were able to help your friend and learn coding at the same time! Your story made me want to delve deeper into coding myself and experiment with it too! Thanks
I am with Shaun on this one. I believe everyone should have a grasp of what code is and how it is relevant to our lives today. How it began from the simple binary system to java to simple script that is used today. I don’t expect that everyone should be able to program something they should just have a tiny bit of know on how their digital devices work.
It appears that I am also going with the general consensus on this one, and would disagree that learning to code is a necessary skill that needs to be taught to students. Although I appreciate people that do code, and in my earlier years of making websites I also learned the basics of HTML and C++; it wasn’t until I started using Adobe DreamWeaver (in conjunction with Fireworks) that I really enjoyed making sites because the programs handled the coding functions. That being said, I am still a proponent of immersing students into various digital literacies at early ages, and so perhaps providing students who demonstrate an interest in coding at an early age, an avenue to learn how to code, would allow them to at least have a basic understanding of the workings of programming and therefore give them a foundation to perhaps develop more throughout school.
One thing that struck me about the video this group provided was how the coding community is not representative of the demographics of North America at large. The problem this raises, is that a broader perspective on products, solutions, and services that applications can offer is limited.
One thing that struck me about the video this group provided was how demographically, the coding community represents only a small portion of the demographics of North America.
No worries Leah, thanks for the great contributions to this discussion. I wasn’t actually aware that the UK taken this as far as legislation, it is a very interesting move indeed. I tend to look at coding in a similar light, that it’s not necessary for everyone to know coding/language intimately, but a working understanding of the basic principles might become more necessary over time. It’s really interesting to see everyone’s different thoughts on this, as it is exactly what we had hoped would happen! 🙂
No worries, and thank Laura. We actually hadn’t expected such an explosion in the discussion so early. We are stoked that it happened though and are loving to hear everyone’s different insights on the topic. You make a really good point about how code can become more streamlined and much easier to use in a relatively short period of time. Your last point is particularly insightful too, it’s true that a novice may be able to create great one-off solutions, but not necessarily something that is sustainable. We hope that “open” models may help with this, but a large number of the most sustainable programs out there are actually closed. It’s still a bit of a conundrum. :
Danielle, unfortunately in this particular WP setup you can’t upload images in comments. I’ve turned on the “reviews” box now (you can see it at the very bottom of this page). You can absolutely paste links and embed images there. We just had it turned off because it gets confused for comments, which send out emails when there are replies (helpful for conversations like this) whereas the “reviews” box does not send out any notification at all. We’ll know to look there though if you do post something. Ps. thanks in advance for the resources! 🙂
Thanks for the thoughtful reply Courtney. I think it’s definitely okay to be conflicted and many in our group perhaps still are. We found a lot of positives as well as potential negatives in our research, so I don’t think that there’s any real clear-cut answer. The movements are certainly interesting to follow though. You make a good point about well-rounded coders being important, this makes me question our segmentation point in the last activity. It might perhaps be detrimental to have too many coders too specialized?
Great to hear your response, and I think it’s totally fair. Not everyone is necessarily suited to coding, or wants to pursue it. As some of our peers have pointed out, there are different kinds of logic in different realms where someone might be better placed than programing. : )
Thanks for the great link Chad. As Kgill points out above not everyone is necessarily cut out for programming, but initiatives that help expose students students to the logic and basics of the realm could certainly be helpful to discover this earlier in life. I say this because I feel like I started in web-code (PHP, Java, HTML, technically markup & scripting languages and not programming) late in life. Despite this and being entirely self-taught through Google, absolutely love it. I wonder how far I would have gotten with earlier expose and proper training. My career took a different path, but I do web in my spare time for a number of different places completely by accident. Really I do projects for myself, but somehow end up doing projects for others. The difference is that I work WITH people wanting to learn, rather than FOR people who wan’t me to do things for them. They appreciate the work that goes into it more as they begin to understand how complex it can be. PS. I love your “Vegas time” reference, as I am very familiar with the rabbit hole of code when learning something new, and I enjoy every minute of it although sometimes I forget to eat and sleep while I’m at it. lol
Great perspective Maxim, it makes me wonder about all of the different disciplines where this logic can transfer over and vice versa. It would be interesting to look at other similar ‘logic’ domains to see if they could offer any insights/developments for the future directions of code…these are often transferable. This has gotten me inspired on a research tangent. Thanks! : )
You know, it’s great you mention design and workflow Shaun. In more complex programs and apps, programmers work with interaction designers (that’s one of the areas I’m actually formally trained in) and also communication designers (graphic, layout, front-end etc). It’s good to point out that there code itself is not the holy grail of program creation. Sometimes the ‘logic’ that programmers use is not all that compatible with the end-user as they are accustomed to ‘speaking’ computer languages and not people-languages. This requires the input of people whose job it is to focus on end-user experience (people trained not in programming but in cognitive ergonomics/usability, task analysis, link analysis etc.) Interestingly Google hires industrial, interaction and communication designers to help with this, and programmers and engineers to do the technical bits! Few people are really aware of this, but it is often having experience/interaction designers and communication designers on the team that makes the difference between an app/program you can use, or an app/program you want to use, and enjoy using.
Shaun and Joel have valid opinions here. We have experts in code for the same reason we have doctors or plumbers. So that when we have a issue that needs to be dealt with, we have an expert to call. However, I don’t run to my doctor for every cold or call a plumber when the drain is a little slow. I have learned some basic first aid skills and ‘plumbing’ skills so that I can solve these small issue on my own. With the prevalence of online communication and publication, is a certain level of proficiency necessary for most people?
There is a lovely story about coding as an important life skill by Jessica Klein who created the Hackasaurus project which teaches teens how to code through hacking. Hackasaurus evolved into the Mozilla Webmaker platform (http://webmaker.org). Mozilla aptly describes the web as the world’s second language and aims to get millions of people to move from simply using the web to actively building it as a global community.
Back in November 2012, Klein’s views about coding and life changed when Hurricane Sandy hit Rockaway, the community she grew up in. By building the website rockawayhelp.com, she was able to leverage the help of 1000+ volunteers, agencies, bloggers, and relief workers and create a network of support for families devastated by the storm. The online community helped rebuild the physical community and made her realize how web making and understanding how it works is a powerful and important skill. Here’s an excerpt of the story – http://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-358057365/learn-to-code-it-s-a-life-skill.
This summer I got involved with Mozilla in planning a web maker party for anyone who’s interested in coming together and spend a couple of hours tinkering with codes. I’m really excited about planning an event on web literacy skills. So to answer your question about Steve Job’s comment, I would not say everyone has to learn to code, but I agree with his views that coding is an important skill. With so many tools out there today that make coding intuitive, visual, and fun, we can all make something personally meaningful. As Klein says, the web is truly a handcrafted community and as digital citizens, we can all contribute code and build a great online community.
It feels like I’ve entered the conversation quite late on this one and I feel that my opinion has already been well documented. I definitely feel that coding is not a skill everyone needs regardless of the thinking skills gained by learning it or the advantage that this level of digital literacy may currently bring those who possess it. Nonetheless, I have been shocked by the lack of digital literacy education in all of the 6 high schools i’ve taught at. We would have a much broader coding community if students were given the opportunity to try it early and learn about it.
Hi Kirsten,
Thank you for sharing this inspiring story. I agree with you that not everyone needs to learn to code, but coding is an important skill. Coding is based on logical thinking. While logical thinking is a skill that everyone needs, some philosophy and math courses also cultivate this skill. For example, ‘logic’ is a topic in discrete math, and conditional statements (if…then) can be introduced to students regardless of their age. Rather than making coding/programming a requirement, I think it’s more urgent that we make digital citizenship and computer literacy an essential part of education so that students know how to use computers responsibly.
Sorry for the late post.
When I initially responded to the poll, my quick answer was “no” but after viewing the videos and reading the great discussion here, i’m re-thinking my response! I originally said “no” because it’s not really a part of my work nor am I that interested in learning how to code. I think I would be more interested if it directly impacted my job but I don’t need to know coding to work.
But then I started thinking about what could persuade me to change my mind if it could directly impact my job…We are currently making recommendations for a new software upgrade and thought that this would be a good time to know some basic coding or at least have some familiarity with the language around it so I can participate or at least get more value out of meetings that I attend with developers. As an end user training manager, I wouldn’t necessarily need to know how to code, but general knowledge like the video explains would be helpful and could impact my work.
Thanks for your responses. I think it just really boils down to personal preference but when I get the chance, maybe I will check out Java!
Thank you for your thoughts Brendan. Digitial literacy and citizenship is extremely important to education and does need to be addressed in a greater capacity by schools. However, that is not what our OER is about. We are looking at coding and the idea of developing literacy in that area of technology education. We are not saying everyone needs to become proficient in code but that a level of literacy is becoming more important to develop. And for those who do want to become proficient, the avenues have changed and opened up to other pathways.
Thanks Riea. Better late than never! June is a busy time for all of us, so thank you for taking the time to participate. I am glad that we were able to change your point of view. Diversifying your knowledge to better impact your job performance and growth potential is a great way of looking at this topic.
That’s a fair and balanced assessment! Thanks for pitching in. It would be interesting to see if the movement to more intuitive scripting and programming languages would enable people to have both an easier to manage and improved knowledge of how their devices work.
Hi Yik Wah I have to agree, using an interface mediated environment for coding is a wonderful tool. It eases the burden of getting down to the nitty-gritty of code so-to-speak. I find myself continually working in split-screen mode when in Dreamweaver, but would love it if everything I needed to do could be more readily achieved through an interface. I enjoy working with WordPress for that reason because I rarely need to write a php function, but rather spend most of my time playing with CSS styling. When you talk about “handling coding function” I’m currently picturing a sort of littleBits or Lego for programming. In terms of a “general solution” taking an expert system and breaking it down into bite-sized building blocks, certainly could shift the balance of power from programmers to common people. This would be a wonderful way to bring coding to more students with larger demographics.
Great link and story Kristen, this perhaps places a bit of a social imperative behind coding as a possible proponent of social change. Thanks for the useful links. I actually love the Webmaker suite, but hadn’t thought of it in tandem with this assignment. I’ve used Mozilla’s Popcornmaker several times because it allows for Creative Commons image, video and sound splicing right in/on the timeline of video production (online). It also builds in great CC attribution tools. Anyway their X-ray goggles would also be a good added resources for those learning to code. Thanks for chipping in!
I believe everyone should learn how to code – however some will remain “tourists” and other bilingual. Right now coding is (mainly) the domaine of males. If it became something we all did – part of a liberal arts degree as Jobs mentioned – then more women would discover they have skills in coding, which would lead to more women in the field. In my experience most tech startups are male. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but you can see that women aren’t even getting out of the starting gate when it comes to innovative technology concepts and companies. It really limits you when you have great ideas but don’t have the coding (even the understanding) to create the product.
As people have mentioned you can now create websites and other online resources without coding knowledge. Even the developer I work with leaves the heavy lifting to a hard core programmer. In my last project I learned a lot from him. He had a real skill in explaining the process, so even though I can’t code I now have a better sense of the thinking behind the design, which helps me visualize what I can and can’t do (at least easily and cost effectively). Just like websites don’t require coding skills, (wix, weebly) I recently started using a “rapid eLearning creation tool” called Articulate Storyline. The software has built in java scripting so you can build interactions without writing the code. That being said, adding triggers and working with variables requires quite a bit of problems solving and I’m sure if I could easily create java script (even though the online forums help) I could do so much more with the program.
One final thought – I came across SkillCrush about 6 months ago. http://skillcrush.com/ I wish I had the time to take the course… 🙂 however I did sign up for their bootcamp to get started – they send out 10 emails on topic as HTML, CSS and Java Script and Anatomy of a Web Application (https://skillcrush.com/skillcrush-10-day-bootcamp/)
Here is the founders story:
“What if more women learned to code? When Adda Birnir lost her job in 2008, she realised that her colleagues with information technology skills were not let go. Two days later, she started to learn computer programming. She has since gone on to teach other women to code through a company she started. The BBC explores what it takes to be a digital diva – and asks if it matters that men dominate the tech industry.”
If you have 3 minutes – watch the video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH2NHwOMxcY#t=92
Yes, Popcornmaker and X-ray goggles are amazing. Another tool I’ve used quite a bit is Thimble. Like Yik Wah, I learned html codes before using web software, so “peeking under the hood” of web pages with Thimble and tinkering with the codes becomes easy. Mozilla Thimble has some neat remix projects that are appropriate for both novice and more advanced users.
Great post about coding and logic, Tiffany. Learning how to code is important in the digital world we live in. Someone likened the skill to learning how to swim. I thought it was an interesting comparison.
I agree with those who say that fewer people are having to learn how to write code, as all sorts of productivity tools exist that do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. In this field of Educational Technology, many of the practitioners start off using mediating platforms that do not require them to code. But if you want to innovate – do something new and different – you may have to write some of your own code.
On another train of thought, I believe that learning how to write computer code and learning how to think like a programmer are two very different things. Programmers think about procedures: how to organize actions in order to achieve a certain effect. Many other disciplines do this as well:
* In the medical field there are algorithms for treating specific health related problems (for example, certain standardized steps you take to deal with someone suffering from smoke inhalation) that ensure proper care. They actually CALL them algorithms!
* Appliance repairmen follow set procedures in order to trouble shoot malfunctioning equipment (and may even develop their own optimized procedures).
* Soldiers learn how to disassemble and reassemble their rifles in seconds. They even call their rifles “weapon systems” rather than “guns” and understand their operation in a much more complex way than “point and shoot”.
I believe Steve Jobs was referring to the ability to think about the organization of actions, routines and procedures at a systemic level.
😉
Kendra wrote:
—-
“What if more women learned to code? When Adda Birnir lost her job in 2008, she realised that her colleagues with information technology skills were not let go. Two days later, she started to learn computer programming. She has since gone on to teach other women to code through a company she started. The BBC explores what it takes to be a digital diva – and asks if it matters that men dominate the tech industry.”
If you have 3 minutes – watch the video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FH2NHwOMxcY#t=92
—–
To me, this says more about Adda’s personal charisma and leadership skills than it does about the gender wars. It is more about self expression and making a place for oneself in the world. It is about going against stereotype. In the video, it becomes clear that men will accept Adda for what she can do and other women are encouraged by that.
I googled “Adda Birnir” and found this quote: “I am a developer who builds products that makes users swoon.”
Adda has a company, so apparently there is a market for swooning. 😉
Very well thought out chrward.You articulated well the underlying message that a certain level of literacy in computer programing leads to greater understanding of how the tool you’re using works. We educate children on simple machines so that they can get a base view of how larger, more complex machines work leading to better understanding of how things around them work and work together. Computers should be no different. Having a grasp of how code works will empower people and broaden their potential through greater comprehension of what can and cannot be done. Whether or not one wants to be a proficient coder is irrelevant.
Though I believe that programming teaches you how to think, teaching actual coding to everybody seems like a bad plan. Surely as Jonathan pointed out, there are other ways of teaching how to think. However programming definitely helps demystify the electronic world around us for the kids and I think it is an important outcome. Also I think programming for teaching how to think is more relevant for grades 8 to 10 th rather than at professional or higher secondary level. Instead of actual coding, attempts like Scratch – http://scratch.mit.edu/about/ are good initiatives to propel thinking skills.
This just came through my email. After a (very) quick glance, I think this is the perfect way to match gamification and coding. For all those eager to start learning code, here is a easy and hopefully fun way to do so. Let me know what you all think.
https://stacksocial.com/sales/the-name-your-own-price-learn-to-code-bundle?aid=a-lj3950br
It is a valuable feedback Shaun yet I think we are soon going to be forced to learn programming and not only to use front end. Code is becoming a base for all domains. It is exactly like computers skills acquired by lawyers, doctors, teachers…etc. Students are now expected to become more competitive. They are expected to be more innovative and creative. In order to achieve this they need to have a more powerful tools compared to powerpoint, word, and excel. They need to program their own projects in math, science, or geography. Now you can learn code in a few days and make a phone app that can use GPS, Maps, and send SMS.
Max your comment makes a really good point. I find your mention of this in relation to the “developed world” really thought-provoking in a different way. I wonder if perhaps the integration of code education into the main-stream could actually make the gap between developed countries and less developed countries more vast? An interesting thought…
Cool, let us know if you create anything fun that you want to share! 🙂
Great links Kendra, thanks for adding them and for telling us about our personal experiences in relation to coding. As a bit of a nerd, I feel fairly strongly that if I had been exposed to code earlier, I would have been off and running on a computer science degree rather than design (or perhaps both, although I don’t regret my path). I think initiatives to involve more women and minorities would we wonderful to help diversify the market. Also I think that SkillCrunch would make a great added resource for our site. Thanks for contributing it! 😉
This seems like an amazing resource Shaun! I was particularly pulled in by the hybrid mix of for-profit and not-for-profit pay structures. Buyers actually have the option to choose their own graduated payment amounts or alternatively donate the proceeds to charity. Very cool as it has an effective social imperative while perhaps supporting it’s own financial needs. This seems fairly innovative. Also the different categories of Gamer, Developer, Entrepreneur, Designer etc., seem to aim the learning at a fairly wide market, which is very interesting. Thanks for the share, I think this would be a great addition to our OER, the only issue I’m having is categorizing it since it’s a hybrid. Maybe we need a hybrid category? Maybe hybrid is a horizon (or just a smart business move!)?
It’s interesting Leah, there are actually a lot of conflicting answers on what’s best to learn first. I found an article on Lifehacker that totes five of the supposed easiest ones to learn, but I think that this is still going to be very individual. You can check it out here: http://lifehacker.com/five-best-programming-languages-for-first-time-learners-1494256243
You know, we sort of made an assumption about the web-maker suite being geared towards K-12 but the more we think about it, the more it can be used at all levels. It is a great resource for us to add on the “open page” so we’ll do that, thanks for contributing it Kirsten! : )
Great expansion Chris, I’d have to agree that these particular ways of thinking are very useful but come in many different forms. In design (interaction and industrial) we use and design many different procedures to develop products and systems solutions. Often we have to try-on these different thinking caps by learning the procedures of a particular field in order to design appropriately for them. This requires task-analysis, link analysis and algorithms and cognitive ergonomics. After taking classes for each of these my logic skills improved greatly and this certainly leaks over into many different areas now. It’s super useful, but sometimes hard to explain to people why I tend to take a particular stance on a subject. You just nailed it! 😉 I think learning different types of logic in many realms has taught me to more flexible and perhaps interdisciplinary in my application of these (although I tend now perhaps to be over-analytic? Haven’t found my balance yet!)
COOL!!!! NYOP and I LOVE that the money goes to charity! What a brilliant innovation! I am so excited by this new discovery and will be sharing it with others. Thanks for sharing 🙂
There have been many interesting comments in this discussion. Although I can see the benefits of learning code, I do not feel it is an essential skill that everyone should learn. Exposure to code, particularly at a young age can strengthen literacy skills and enhance problem solving skills for some learners. However, this is not the only way to enhance these skills.
@sheljon, Thank you for your thoughts and views. We aren’t saying, nor is Jobs, that this coding is the only way to develop problem solving skills. Rather that the job market is demanding more people who are literate in these computing skills and that traditional post secondary education is not meeting the demands of the market. There are growing alternative education routes that are producing more talented coders in record time. What are your views of these ‘alternatives’ and their potential to disrupt the post secondary education landscape?
Although I’ve learned the principles of coding (in Turing, Java, C++, MATLAB, Maple…) in my secondary and post-secondary education, I would be reluctant to agree with the statement “that everyone should learn how to code”.
The initiatives like An Hour of Code have their value in exposing younger learners to coding. This could be beneficial for students to see if they have aptitude for it, how much they enjoy it, and if they wish to pursue it further. But simply learning how to code doesn’t translate necessarily to proficiency and expertise like in any other field.
Yes, knowing how to code could be useful for developing logical and creative thinking, problem solving, and digital literacy but these skills can be developed through other disciplines and contexts as well.
In conclusion, I would rephrase SJ’s statement to “everyone should have access/option to learning how to code” in post-secondary/professional or earlier education.
Thank you for the short video! I found it interesting as you can tell just how he speaks that he genuinely believes in what he is saying. I guarantee if you were to try and debate this argument with him he would have many useful, valid points to back up his statement. That is what makes me want to agree with him, but at the same time a statement like ‘everyone’ is extreme. I do think the young generation should and will learn to code but is it necessary for all ages and generations? Probably not. I do agree that learning any new task causes you to think and in the case of computers there are many different ways your brain can actively engage in order to explore new ideas and thoughts. So as a whole I want to agree with his statement but with reservation to the term ‘everyone’.
Thank you karalea,
Your post made me wonder what developmental stage is suitable to start coding education. Coding needs logical thinking, and as you said, age and cognitive developmental stage are probably one factor that we should take into account.
Thank you for reply. It’s convincing when you said that coding instruction in the school curriculum is more giving opportunity rather than giving special knowledge to the students. Knowing how the things work is another point that the young students can learn from the instruction.