{"id":6669,"date":"2024-11-19T13:23:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T18:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/?p=6669"},"modified":"2024-11-20T13:50:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T18:50:05","slug":"coding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nearpod.com\/blog\/coding\/","title":{"rendered":"Computer Science: Coding lessons for teaching K-12 students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a world that is becoming more digital every day, it\u2019s no surprise that educators worldwide see the importance of teaching coding lessons as a way to prepare students for the careers that await them. However, the benefits of incorporating coding into instruction go beyond career readiness. Coding instruction improves digital literacy, promotes social and emotional learning competencies like organizational skills, self-motivation, and analyzing situations, and can even be a form of self-expression and empowerment. For these reasons and more, bringing basic coding instruction into the classroom unlocks a world of opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is coding in digital literacy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many ways to teach students digital literacy<\/a> skills to build strong digital citizens, including coding. Coding, or computer programming, can be described as a language to communicate with computers. To be understood in any language, certain grammatical rules have to be followed, such as subject then verb and ending with punctuation. In coding, the student is the writer, and the computer is the reader. For example, for your message to be understood by the computer, you must be specific in your commands. Syntax matters. No <>tag, \u201c\u201dquote or ;semicolon can be out of place. Understanding and being able to write these rules is a form of digital literacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interested in exploring a digital literacy, coding, and computer science curriculum for your school? Nearpod’s 21st Century Program<\/a> includes interactive computer science lessons, activities, assessments, and videos covering topics like coding, applications of technology, digital literacy, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to explore Nearpod<\/a> lessons you can use in your classroom to teach coding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New to Nearpod? Make sure you\u2019re signed up to access these lessons and activities!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teachers: Sign up for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Administrators: Schedule a call<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

How does coding support social and emotional learning skills?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Teaching students to code can help build SEL skills by practicing a growth mindset, handling their emotions, fostering collaboration, and allowing them to express themselves creatively. The attention to detail required to write code reveals and shapes characters successfully. Will a \u201crun\u201d error message due to a missing forward slash cause your student to give up or go back line by line to find the mistake? The revisioning and editing process teaches grit and stresses the importance of having a growth mindset<\/strong>, which is an important social and emotional learning<\/a> skill for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, when working in groups, coding fosters collaboration<\/strong>! My students simultaneously learn the hard skill, coding, and soft skills involved with working in teams, both of which prepare them for careers in STEM. Relying on each other to be successful builds an appreciation for the strengths others bring to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coding can also be used as a form of self-expression and empowerment<\/strong> for students. It allows the student to take a blank page and treat it as a canvas. Who wouldn\u2019t feel like a superhero knowing you took something from being void and without form to life? Block-based coding sites like Code.org<\/a>, Scratch<\/a>, Minecraft<\/a>, and Nearpod allow K-12 students to learn and create their own games and projects!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Computer Science: Coding lessons for teaching K-12 students<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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All of these lessons and activities can be found in Nearpod’s lesson library. With Nearpod, you can make slides-based lessons interactive with activities and formative assessments. Click on the lessons below to preview their content and the activities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Explore compter science and coding lessons<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Computer Science Education (CSEd) Week and Hour of Code<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Computer Science Education Week (CSED Week)<\/a> is the perfect opportunity to introduce coding and K-12 computer science lessons and inspire students to become the next generation of leaders in STEM. ou can save time planning an Hour of Code<\/a> activity with our collection of prebuilt coding and computer science lessons. Enhance your instructional strategies by exploring resources for teaching computer science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coding lessons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n