Inspiration

My learning curve with programming tools like Makey Makey and Arduino is high and my learning style is such that I appreciate face to face learning in collaboration with others especially when it comes to learning hands on sorts of thing. Additionally, as I think about my vision for coding in my school and my project for this class it helps me to observe coding in the classroom in action. Fortunately Lucie our instructor connected me with the amazing Erica Bertucci, a technology teacher at St Albans City School.  I had a short but fruitful visit. I picked up the Lilypad Arduino, talked through some of my questions and challenges with Scratch, and observed her second grade technology class which gave me so many ideas for ways to structure coding opportunities for students.

In addition to know her stuff when it comes to technology and coding Erica modeled great teaching practices too!  Before the second grade class entered the room Erica explained the goals for class, the different stations and learning awaiting students in the classroom and the expectations for working together and asking for help.

Offering different coding activities at different stations promoted self direction, engaged students the entire time and showed great attention to differentiated learning options for students.

I witnessed students debugging, collaborating and solving real world problems in an energized and focused way.  I talked with the students programming Dash and they explained their task and what they believed was not working in the code to keep Dash on the course.  Other stations including Ozobots and students working through lessons on Code.org

Erica circulated to each station and did more listening and coaching rather than directing the learning or fixing the problems.

The  visit helped to ease some of my stress and feelings of being way out of my league with this class.  I still feel I have so much to learn and get more comfortable with but I feel confident that I could start introducing coding at my school with stations similar to the ones I observed at Erica's school. And, as I gain confidence in using the Arduino and Makey and Makey I can introduce them and broaden the coding opportunities for all.