In a joint venture with Elsik Main and Elsik Ninth Grade Center (led by fellow coding educator Duane Daigrepont), the Elsik High School family hereby offers their plan to Innovate for Alief.
Introduction
Elsik High School is a large campus that houses over 4,220 students. There are 76% of the student body on free and reduced lunch. (USA News) The campus is made up of two separate campuses; one that contains all the ninth grade students called Elsik Ninth Grade Center and another that contains tenth grade through twelfth called Elsik Main Campus. Both campuses try to be “One Elsik”, but this does not always happen when you have different budgets, different administrators, and different cultures. Today, Duane Daigrepont and Alex Ortiz bring both campuses together in inspriation of the idea “One Elsik!!”.
Problem
Why is it so hard to get students in Coding class? Coding is the future of technology, and Most jobs in IT contain some type of coding. Preparing students for the future is an opportunity in Alief, we should try to provide this opportunity to as many students as possible. Unfortunately, the problem encompassing our community is that the importance of coding is not communicated to the student, their parents, teachers, or school administrators.
Branding
First, we need to create a brand for Coding on Elsik Campuses, where students know they are part of something that will continue to grow and build. A logo for all coding activities on either campus where we can attach this too posters and announcements along with social media posts and commercials. Elsik needs to compete in coding competitions with other schools and districts to show the amount of learning that is happening on campus. We need another coding camp with future coders and present coders. Where both students integrate and work together to create, develop apps that they can be proud of and inspire to create through the coding class.
In Phoenix, Arizona, Apple had a conference for all the teachers that are participating in the coding cohort program, where teachers were treated to like Kings and Queens while getting some of the best professional learning in the world. The discussion then became how do we bring this back to the teachers and students that we work with. The first thing we discussed was bringing Bio Journaling to our students. In Bio Journaling, students will take their IPAD and creativity to create things that they can take with them to social media and other platforms where they can be part of the communication to their parents and friends. We will create events where students can interact with nature and technology together to get them further interested in coding. How do we bring this learning to teachers? Apple Creativity and Accessibility Lab where teachers will interact with IPAD’s in a way never seen in Alief before. A professional development where there are no chairs, teachers go from station to station participating in doing activities where they learn to use the IPAD in different ways like; Drawing, Coding, Video, Photography, Music, and Accessibility.
The most important piece to this puzzle is administrators. The influence that they hold with students in counseling and getting students interested in things that they should be involved with is what will catapult these programs to the forefront in Alief. Classes should be available to all students. Coding should be added to degree plans that students are currently enrolled in like robotics, engineering, and design. Councelors and AP’s should encorage students to go to coding camps and coding clubs on campus. At 8th Grade Enrollment, Coding should be added and even pushed to students that are currently tanking the programs in Middle School.
Benefits
Coding has become very popular in the business community. The average salary for a coder coming out of college is 81,000 dollars.(Wired, ) As educators, if we can add more students to this career path we can bring a difference in to those students lives. This is one solution in getting students College and Career Ready. The problem solving that they learn within the class can take them to the next level in math and science. Students also learn to design apps and work with groups creating an environment which is much like the present day workplace.
What do we Need?
We have an outline of some of the things that are happening in coding and are important to the future of the program, which include:
Presentations at Elsik Ninth Grade Center - App Showcase (December 17th, 2019)
Presentation of Innovation Plan (December 22nd, 2019)
Competition FBLA Mobile App Dev (January 15th, 2020)
Meeting for Planning for PD (January 27th, 2020)
Staff Apple PD (February 17th, 2020)
Presentations at ENGC App Showcase (May 4th, 2020)
Elsik Coding Camp (June 22nd-26th, 2020)
Implementation Outline
Presentations at Elsik Ninth Grade Center (ENGC) – 1st App Showcase (December 17th, 2019)
· Student showcase app prototypes at ENGC
· Principals and department heads invited to judge student creations
Innovation Plan Presentation (December 22nd, 2019)
· Innovation plan pitches to Alief ISD Board, principals, and the district Superintendent
Competition FBLA Mobile App Dev (January 15th, 2020)
· Application development competition hosted by the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) organization
· Elsik coding students will have an opportunity to form a group and compete
Meeting for Planning for PD (January 27th, 2020)
· A day of planning for the Staff Apple PD meeting.
Staff Apple PD (February 17th, 2020)
· Apple Mobile iPad training for ENGC & Elsik Main teachers
Presentations at Elsik Ninth Grade Center (ENGC) – 2nd App Showcase (May 4th, 2020)
· Student showcase app prototypes at ENGC
· Principals and department heads invited to judge student creations
Elsik Coding Camp (June 22nd-26th, 2020)
· Invite incoming high school students to join coding on Elsik High School Campus
Media Strategy
Supporting Literature (Citation)
Bonfigilio, Chontelle. “8 reasons why every child should learn to code.”
Teach Kids Code – Computer programming challenges kids to be resilient. Coding teaches kids how to think.
McFadden, Christopher. “Code Literacy: Why Coding Became Important.”
Code literacy – Coding teaches students problem solving and design skills.
Code Literacy – Society has to accept what they see, but a coder can change things for the better.
Addair, Travis. “Why Is Coding So Important?"
In Forbes, Coding takes up everything we do in society.
Why is coding important? Why should we teach it to our students? Why should our kids have an understanding of Coding. The importance of Coding is that it is in every electronic device in this building and in the world. Coding helps kids be better problem solvers and makes them more resilient to problem solving. Coding gives a person the ability to change the world.
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