Alpha B’Eta Omega Messianic Conclave

STEM-based Coding Education: Writing Algorithms for Youth in Elementary,

Junior, and Senior High Schools

by Cliff C. Morris, Jr., PhD

The Tribes of EL Bethel Temple of Jesus International Saturday, February 8, 2020

Coding STEM Logo

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Coding in STEM Education• Coding becomes more and more important in our society. To help increase

the level of knowledge on a wide scale and to encourage the interest of young people in coding and IT Science on Stage focuses on the teachers.

• With its initiative 'Coding in STEM Education' Science on Stage offers a large variety of projects and activities, funding to support teachers in primary and secondary school to implement coding in their STEM classes and develops:

• 23 teachers from seven European countries develop concrete examples and practical advice about how to acquire coding skills using microcontroller such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi not only in computer science lessons but also in subjects such as biology, chemistry, technology, mathematics and physics - even if you are no IT expert.

• The brochure 'Coding in STEM Education' is now available in English and German.

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Join the European Code League

• The European Code League invites students to get creative and present your innovative coding projects for STEM l e s s o n s i n p r i m a r y a n d secondary schools at the European Code League. The call is for coding projects developed with your students. You are free to use digital tools s u c h a s m i c ro c o m p u t e r s (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Calliope, etc.) and various programming environments and languages (Snap!, Scratch, C++, etc.)

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What are the Desired Categories?

• Fundamental Science in 1’s and 0’s. How does the world around us work? Students simulate, analyze and explore scientific phenomena using digital tools.

• Micro-controlling the World. How do we use digital tools to connect with the world around us? Students design, code and build various applications to interact with their environment (Internet of Things, human-machine interface, remote control and automation, artificial intelligence, etc.).

• Environment 4.0. How can we use digital tools to explore and protect nature and our environment? (Implementation of simulation, microcontrollers, sensors etc. for environmental aspects).

• See https://www.science-on-stage.eu/page/display/3/101/0/european-code-league

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What is Coding?• You’ve seen the craze for learning code. But what exactly is

coding? Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they’re all made with code.

• Here’s a simple example of code, written in the Python language:

• print ‘Hello, world!’

• Python, as you see here is a high level language (uses standard English commands rather than 0’s and 1’s as the low level languages use.

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Coding 101• If you don’t know the first thing about coding, you’ve

come to the right place. We’ve put together a beginner’s tutorial which will give you all the background information you need on coding, before you start learning it for real.

• See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HaJPpihkBI

• Learn Python in 4 hours using link below.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfscVS0vtbw

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Treehouse• Treehouse is an online training service that teaches web design,

web development and app development with videos, quizzes and interactive coding exercises. Treehouse was founded in November 2011 by Ryan Carson. His mission was to bring affordable Technology education to people everywhere, in order to help them achieve their dreams and change the world.

• Treehouse's mission is to bring technology education to those who can't get it, and is committed to helping its students find jobs. If you're looking to turn coding into your career, you should consider Treehouse.

• S e e f u l l r e v i e w o f T r e e h o u s e a t https://www.codeconquest.com/reviews/treehouse/

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Treehouse cont’d• Treehouse has a diverse library of training with coding topics

such as PHP, Ruby on Rails, iOS development, Android development and JavaScript. There’s also content on web design, business, marketing, Photoshop and much more.

• Because there are so many courses, Treehouse organizes them into what are called Tracks. These are pre-selected sequences of training topics that you complete in a specific order. Here are some examples. Web design, Rails development, iOS development, Android development, PHP development, WordPress development, Starting a business.

• See https://www.codeconquest.com/reviews/treehouse/

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How Coding Works• So how does coding work, really? The short answer is that writing code tells the

computer what to do, but it’s not quite that simple.

• So here’s the longer answer. A computer can only understand two distinct types of data: on and off. In fact, a computer is really just a collection of on/off switches (transistors). Anything that a computer can do is nothing more than a unique combination of some transistors turned on and some transistors turned off.

• Binary code is the representation of these combinations as 1s and 0s, where each digit represents one transistor. Binary code is grouped into bytes, groups of 8 digits representing 8 transistors. For example, 11101001. Modern computers contain millions or even billions of transistors, which means an unimaginably large number of combinations.

• But one problem arises here. To be able to write a computer program by typing out billions of 1s and 0s would require superhuman brainpower, and even then it would probably take you a lifetime or two to write. This is where programming languages come in.

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What is an Algorithm?• An algorithm is a detailed step-by-step instruction set or formula for solving a

problem or completing a task. In computing, programmers write algorithms that instruct the computer how to perform a task.

• When you think of an algorithm in the most general way (not just in regards to computing), algorithms are everywhere. A recipe for making food is an algorithm, the method you use to solve addition or long division problems is an algorithm, and the process of folding a shirt or a pair of pants is an algorithm. Even your morning routine could be considered an algorithm!

• Algorithmic thinking, or the ability to define clear steps to solve a problem, is crucial in subjects like math and science. Kids use algorithms without realizing it all the time, especially in math. To solve a long division problem, kids apply an algorithm that they’ve learned in order to iterate through the digits of the number they’re dividing. For each digit of the dividend (the number being divided), the child must divide, multiply, and subtract. Algorithmic thinking allows kids to break down problems and conceptualize solutions in terms of discrete steps in a procedure.

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Top 5 Coding Schools in the US

• Coding schools have popped up around the country in recent years in response to fast-rising demand for capable computer programmers who can design and build Web applications and websites. Most coding schools are organized around three- or four-month courses designed to transform programming novices into skilled coders and software developers ready for employment. These schools deliver intensive training in the cutting-edge programming languages and development techniques most in demand by employers in the software industry. Now widely known as coding bootcamps, these high-intensity immersive courses are standard across the coding-school industry.

• See https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/012216/top-5-coding-schools-us.asp

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Top 5 US Coding Schools• Dev Bootcamp (San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago,

New York City)

• General Assembly (9 cities in US including New York, Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle and five international cities)

• Hack Reactor (San Francisco)

• Fullstack Academy (New York)

• App Academy (San Francisco)

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Why Coding is Hot in High School

• See video at https://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2012/10/18/n-codecademy-high-school.cnnmoney/index.html

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Now That’s Cool!

• Because he wanted his own two kids to learn about coding, Andrew Duff created Hour Code, a series of one-hour tutorials that have taught the basics of coding to more than 119 million people since 2013.

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What’s the Right Age for Kids to Learn to Code?

• So is there a proper age for kids to learn coding? According to Gray, it's never too early. Even children who can't yet read or spell can grasp the logic of coding, thanks to the use of symbols. In early childhood, for example, young coders can compose a series of blocks with arrows to make an animal move across a screen to a particular destination. There are environments for non-readers," Gray says, "and we also have unplugged activities, so rather than being on a computer writing code,  students  can do kinesthetic activities and learn computer science through these unplugged activities as they move about the classroom.

• With basic programming languages like Scratch, devised by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to teach more young children the roots of coding, and statewide commitments to boost students' digital skills, Gray says he feels encouraged. In 2015, New York added computer science to all levels of public school curricula, and Arkansas became the first state to pass a comprehensive law requiring public and charter high schools to offer computer science courses.

• In February 2016, President Obama announced Computer Science for All, an initiative boost American students' digital skills. The initiative calls for $4 billion in funding for states and $100 million directly for school districts to expand teacher training and instructional materials, which will be proposed as part of the next national budget. In addition, the initiative will receive $135 million in computer science funding from the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service.

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Mobile App Personalization

• When you go to a pizza place and order a Capricciosa with a pineapple on top, that is called customization. But when you enter a pizza place and it already knows the type of pizza you want and prepares it for you without you even asking – that is personalization.

• In that sense, we can say that personalization is the next evolutionary step after customization and mobile app pros have made a significant shift towards personalization, as well.

• Why personalize? The short answer is … because your audience expects you to personalize. Seriously, if that is not good enough of a reason for you, you might as well quit right now. Last year’s survey has shown that mobile app personalization is the number one expectation among internet and mobile users in the near future (which is today).

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Achieving Optimal Personalization• Optimizely describes it as the “process of building a mobile application to

meet the needs of specific audiences”. Hence, user experience becomes customized to users’ needs, rather than a broad, one-size-fits-all approach for all users. So, user experience is at the core of mobile app personalization, and achieving optimal stage means providing users with state-of-the-art UX.

• Looking at real-world examples, apps like Starbucks, Drippler, and Airbnb have absolutely nailed it. Airbnb, for example, monitors the user’s trips, traveling preferences and plans, and uses that information to offer the utmost personalized experience via features such as a neighbourhood matching system. Drippler, an app that sends users recommendations about the smartphone they are using, scans the device it is installed on, learns from it and creates a newsfeed of highly relevant articles. Starbucks, whose personalization efforts made headlines, uses user behavior data to craft special offers, discounts and coupons.

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Test and Optimize• Things like search query defaults, location-based form autofill, discounts and special

offers, suggestions based on previous app use, all those things are done with the clear goal of making the app more personalized and convenient to use. But if not done correctly, they can have the exact opposite effect. Search defaults can only add extra work to the user if they are irrelevant and force the user to clear them before being able to search for anything. Location-based form auto-fills can also add extra work if they are unintuitive.

• Personalization is more than just an evolution of customization. It has become a must for mobile apps. By making apps more convenient to use and offering instant gratification, users’ needs have gravitated towards mobile app personalization, and app pros have responded in kind. At the end of the day, why would not they, when it allows them to improve their app’s user experience, retention, and boost their bottom line?

• But crafting stellar mobile app personalization is easier said than done, and failing in the process does not come without consequences. With a solid plan, a few good examples to draw inspiration from, and effective qualitative analytics tools to monitor and optimize your efforts, you will dodge personalization mistakes easier than Neo can dodge bullets.

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Q & A

• Please feel free to download the entire keynote presentation at my web address at www.cliff.guru. Yo u w i l l fi n d t h e h y p e r l i n k (abostembasedcoding.pdf) for this presentation under my Reading List (left side). My email address is bishopmorris@elbetheltemple.org.

• Have a great day!

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