Scratch for Schools: Programming Education for Children

Session Description

Computer Programming education is becoming an area of study for elementary school students. While the demand for computer science education exists, there are numerous hurdles in its implementation on a large scale. For teachers, programming lessons can be a daunting task. Not only do they have to learn a brand-new set of skills, but they also have to present those skills to students that are digital natives. As for students, without proper guidance and pedagogy, existing learning tools may be beyond their comprehension which can discourage interest in computer science. Other barriers to accessibility in programming education include school resources, gender bias, and familial resources. Coding skills are becoming more relevant with each year and such barriers to accessibility need to be addressed.

This project is designed to bypass these obstacles by providing a curriculum that teachers can follow and lead their classes through. Alternatively, students can choose to complete the lessons with minimal hardware and benefit. Through this project, students can pursue a curriculum that is designed to teach the basics of programming in self-contained sections as well as encourage experimentation and exploration. The overall objective of this tutorial is to arm students with a basic understanding of computer programming concepts and therefore provide them with an understanding of how the digital landscape operates in a digital, constructivist approach.

Presenter(s)

Nathan Valdez
California State University Fullerton

Nathan Valdez is an Instructional Designer with an emphasis on programming education for children. He has spent three years delivering programming education to children of all ages and backgrounds.

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