You've heard about it, right? Code.org's "Hour of Code" that's going on right now (Dec. 9-13)? People may not have to know how to write it to create an app, but learning how to write code benefits economies as well as learners. Code.org, which is a nonprofit organization that aims to get computer science into more US schools, is sending that message in a big way this week, as, "all across the … [Read more...] about Coding is cool (& crucial to businesses, economies)
Archives for December 2013
Students developing apps (and businesses) on the side
There's the app for cats. Yes, true – not feline iPhone users, but cats who play (i.e., all cats). The Guardian's feature on young app creators leads with Oxford physics student Owen Beckett's Cat Snaps, "a laser chasing game for cats [that] includes a function that takes a photo of your cat when it 'wins' the game." Beckett says he didn't know how to write code or make an app, but he watched … [Read more...] about Students developing apps (and businesses) on the side
At the top of kids’ wish lists
Eighty-eight percent of US 12-to-17-year-olds want something digital for the holidays this year, CNET reports, and 69% want an Apple product. For girls (and teens overall), the iPhone tops wish lists, for boys it's the PlayStation 4. The iPad and Xbox One were close to the top, followed by an Apple iPod. The survey, by market researcher TNS Global for Ebates.com found that parents' guesses about … [Read more...] about At the top of kids’ wish lists
‘No negative impact’ from videogame play: Study
Contrary to what parents have heard about videogames, a UK study that followed the videogame play and TV viewing of more than 11,000 children for three years found that "exposure to videogames had no effect on [their] behavior, attention or emotional issues," reports New York-based GamesandLearning.org. The story was a little different with TV viewing, though. The University of Glasgow researchers … [Read more...] about ‘No negative impact’ from videogame play: Study
‘One Good Thing’: THIS is what middle schoolers are like
Give yourself a gift this holiday season and watch this 3 min. video. You might find you want to share it with your children or students. Not because it represents who they should be or what they should do but because it represents who they (and all of us) really are. This is the kind of goodness that's happening all the time, all over the world – especially among the youngest generation, I'm … [Read more...] about ‘One Good Thing’: THIS is what middle schoolers are like