Coding is preparing our students for their future

"A 2015 study found there were as many as seven million job openings in the US that required coding skills and that coding jobs are growing in number around 12% faster than the market average." (1) 

"The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that By 2020 that gap is projected to be 1 million open jobs — with a potential loss of $500 billion in salaries — going unfilled unless we close the discrepancy between demand and supply for this talent.  And that gap is expected to be two to three times larger in the rest of the world." (2)

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It's hard to believe, but the world of education is quickly falling behind in terms of preparing students to become the most productive and successful members of society that they can be. That bold statement has recently been backed up by The Bureau of Labor Statistics. The gap between available jobs and desired skills will continue to grow larger unless we begin to change the way that we let our students approach technology in the classroom. Should computers and tablets be a substitution for pen and paper? Or could the technology that we have at hand be used to redefine the way our students learn?

To determine if you are properly engaging your students with digital technology, ask this question of your teachings: "Are my students using digital tools to consume or to create?" The difference between a consumer and a creator is the difference between dormant and active engagement. Students who are asked to apply content knowledge to a new set of digital skills are critically thinking of how to redefine the concepts they have learned. Coding is a great way for students to develop skills and to redefine what they know in a way that is totally their own.

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By infusing coding into a class curriculum, students will become empowered with:

• the ability to create

• the willingness to take risks

• the realization that there is more than one solution for any problem