As a part of NHA’s Excel-erate program, Tech Apps and Coding is giving middle school scholars a head start on learning how to code. Scholars are chosen for the course based on math scores and their desire to learn the behind-the-scenes of computer coding.
Rachel Licata teaches the course to about 40 scholars at Walton Charter Academy in Pontiac, Michigan. She said the program is going to give scholars a thorough education on the history of computers and the basics of how to write and implement code.
“We’re teaching them the foundational building blocks of coding,” Licata said, adding it also provides students a platform launching them into the future.
As the class progresses, scholars build on their knowledge. They start with basic activities like moving a turtle across their screen using corresponding buttons. Scholars will eventually go under the hood to learn and write the code that was making the turtle move. In Licata’s classroom, scholars will have a final project designing web pages through code.
This culmination of skills is giving scholars everything they need to step into high school coding with confidence. Licata said she is confident that Tech Apps and Coding is preparing her scholars for coding education down the line.
“When they leave us here in middle school, they’re going to be prepared with the tools to help them best succeed in high school,” Licata said.
Even if scholars don’t expand on their coding knowledge in high school or college, they should be prepared to reap the rewards of taking Tech Apps and Coding.
Alex Brown, an education technology specialist for NHA, said coding is a skill employers are searching for, and with how much technology is integrated into our lives, this comes as no surprise.
“If you look at what is out there in the job market, especially for when our scholars get to the job market, whether it’s business, or finance, or social media, you need to know the backend of coding,” Brown said. “Most jobs are now looking for people with some coding background. This knowledge will help you in almost any industry.”
It is clear the impact of these lessons will live on past National Coding Week, which took place in September. “This program is a gamechanger for our middle schoolers,” Licata said.
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About Walton Charter Academy
Walton Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Pontiac, Michigan, serving students in Young 5s through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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