Code.org

Any educator is going to be intrigued by a video with the caption, "What they DON'T teach in most schools."

I went to watch this ~5 minute video and was brought to the website www.code.org which quotes Steve Jobs: “I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” 

The video and website also highlights other successful people including coders, designers, entrepreneurs, actors, athletes, politicians and so on.  The message is clear: learning to code is essential.  It helps us problem-solve, create, and participate in today's technology-rich world.

I tried out a few (free) apps for the iPad that were recommended for beginners.  One stood out right away...called Cargo-Bot.  I played around with the tutorial.  The player needs to figure out how to drag and drop signals to move cargo from one platform to another.  Immediately, I found my brain working to problem-solve, to think in terms of cause & effect, and to find a plausible solution after a few failed attempts.  And this was just for the tutorial!!  :)  It felt like a great brain work-out.  One that might postpone Dementia for a few years...

And so how might this apply in a Humanities classroom??  Don't know!!  I'm going to work on that one.  But Coding 101 would make a cool "expert" or enrichment class option for middle schoolers.