Coding: The Gateway to Computer Science (...and so much more)

In July of 2014, I was training to be a building level trainer for Project Lead the Way along with my friend, Cori Wolff. As we were going through the training, I was all about the STEAM/STEM aspect of PLTW. I was totally invested...until we got to coding. 

Coding. Something that seemed foreign. Something that seemed above and beyond my capabilities. Something I quickly turned away from. 

Flash forward a few months later when Twitter was buzzing about the Hour of Code! As I was watching my Twitter PLN  posting their Hour of Code Certificate, I found myself wondering if this was something I should give another shot. I asked my friend, John Martin, to direct me to the best place to start and he directed me to a few sites like Code.org. 

That weekend, I took the time to do the Hour of Code on Code.org and quickly realized how valuable this was for students. I was hooked and convinced that these were the puzzles of the 21st Century. I quickly learned that my students felt the same way!

A year after I attended the PLTW training, I found myself training to be a Code.org affiliate. What a difference a year makes...

I tell you all of this because I was once the non-believer. I was once the teacher who turned away from coding thinking it was just for certain people. 

I also tell you this because I've also learned that the Hour of Code isn't just about coding. The Hour of Code is a movement to push educators to think outside the box and think about how computer science is in every aspect of our students' futures. It is the gateway to all things computer science. And computer science is the gateway to endless possibilities in the STEAM driven classroom.

​And let's face it, a STEAM driven classroom is exactly what the CCSS is about.