Blog 4: Technology and Coding
Digital technology is vital to human life in contemporary society, as it has made our lives easier, faster, better, and more fun. Therefore, I have been conditioned to think that technology can only be digital and is often developed by engineers in applied sciences. However, my thoughts were challenged in class which also expanded my horizon. I learned that technology does not need to be expensive; it can also be applying scientific knowledge for practical purposes, such as the invention of wheels. These ancient technologies, including the steam engine, central heating, and toothbrushes, continue to be used today. Therefore, I was mind-blown when my classmate mentioned that technology does not need to be digital; technology can be in multiple forms for different purposes.
Relating this to chapter 4, teachers and students should actively design technology rather than merely use it to make things easier (Davis et al., 2019). It is the playful exploration that allows students to have fun and learn through making mistakes. For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbEKAwCoCKw is a video on the world’s “deepest” bin. The designers encouraged citizens to throw the trash into the public garbage bins by adding sound effects to attract their attention. As a result, more people ended up throwing garbage in the trash instead of just throwing it away. They did not simply use technology but also designed a garbage bin that changes individuals’ behaviour and promotes the cleanness of a city. I think these innovations are insightful and exciting, as they reflect the purpose of technology.
Coding was another topic that was discussed. In short, coding is a language that can be understood. For example, coding is an act of wiring instructions for a computer to perform commands because computers do not think. In addition, coding could also be a set of instructions for humans to perform tasks and activities. The key goal is to provide specific instructions to avoid confusion. I did a small activity on coding in class that asked me to “Repeat 10 times [Write Hello World!]. I then vertically wrote, “Hello World!” ten times on my paper. However, my partner then questioned me that this activity did not tell the direction for writing “Hello World!”, meaning it does not need to be written vertically, but could be horizontally, circularly, or in random orders. That was my Aha moment, as I realized how important it is to provide clear instruction. I believe this is also important in my teaching, that I need to be clear in my expectations, the learning objectives, and the instruction of a lesson so that students are able to follow along with minimal confusion.
I also used https://scratch.mit.edu/ to do activity design and coding for a turtle and a bug. I followed the instruction to create a path for the turtle to walk to the rock. I also changed the coding for a bug to walk in squares to produce different patterns by modifying the numbers. I really enjoyed these activities and will encourage my students to engage in these creative learning experiences. In addition, these STEM activities involve students’ computational thinking that enhances their ability to decompose ideas and problems apart, abstraction by focusing on what is important, recognizing similar patterns, and engaging in algorithmic design. Overall, after exploring these activities, I feel less afraid to use coding and scratch (considering I had limited knowledge about coding); it is a fantastic way to encourage students to think from different perspectives.
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