By: Stephanie Timmons

Agenda
1. What is Code
2. Pros and Cons
3. Benefits
4. How Code works
5. Binary Code
6. Languages in Code
7. Why teach Code to students
8. Statistics
9. Hour of Code
10. Wrap-up

What 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 presentation theyre all made with code.

Pros and Cons of Coding

Con

Pro

fast paced always changing

logical thinking

intimidating
collaboration

tedious

encourages persistence
many hours in front of computer

problem solving

takes a long time

promotes communication

Benefits from learning code.

Here are some of the things that learning code can empower you to
do.

Make your own website

Become a Career Coder

Start a Business

Understand how technology works

How does coding work?

The short answer is that writing code tells the computer what to do, but it is not
quite that simple.
So here is 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.
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.

How to read Binary Code

Let's try to read binary code

010000110110111101100100011001
010110100101110011011000110110
11110110111101101100

Remember
break into 8 bits
count by powers of 2's
ignor the first 3 #'s 010 = UPPERCASE,
011 = lowercase

Let's try to read binary code

01000011
01101111
01100100
01100101

01101001
01110011

01100011
01101111
01101111
01101100

Programing Languages
Thousands of different programming languages make it possible for us to create
computer software, apps and websites.
Instead of writing binary code, they let us write code that is (relatively) easy for us to
write, read and understand.
Each language comes with a special program that takes care of translating what we write
into binary code.
All software is written in some kind of coding language. And every coding language is
unique, designed with a certain operating system, platform, coding style and intended
use in mind.

12 Most Common Languages

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

JavaScript
Python
SQL
PHP
Ruby
C

7. C++
8. C Sharp
9. Visual Basic
10. Java
11. Objective-C
12. Perl

Why teach coding to students?

The earlier we introduce children to coding, the more comfortable they will be
when presented with more in-depth learning opportunities in middle and high
school.
Also, early exposure to coding helps teach children how important it is to
understand computers as the valuable tools they are rather than merely fun
playthings.
Children want to learn how to code. They want to learn how to make tablets
and computers do useful things. They want to learn how to build websites. It's
actually a very cool thing to them.

What's wrong with this picture?

http://code.org/promote

http://code.org/promote

http://code.org/promote

http://code.org/promote

http://code.org/promote

http://code.org/promote

http://code.org/promote

Hour of Code
What is the Hour of Code?
The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify
code and show that anybody can learn the basics.
When is the Hour of Code?
Anybody can host an Hour of Code anytime, but the grassroots campaign goal is for tens
of millions of students to try an Hour of Code during December 7-13, 2015, in celebration
of Computer Science Education Week.
Is it one specific hour?
No. You can do the Hour of Code anytime during this week. (And if you can't do it during
that week, do it the week before or after).

Lets begin coding!!!

Activities/Ideas for classroom use

There are many Apps and online activities and games to introduce Code to even the
youngest of students (see handout).
Teachers can incorporate Coding into a math or Language Arts lesson and have the
students decode binary coding. The students are not only using their basic addition skills
but also they are enriching their minds with problem solving and logical thinking.
Teachers can incorporate Coding into a Visual Arts lesson where students can use coding to
create drawings and pictures.
Teachers can get their students to create their own personal website using coding as an
assignment. This activity is for the older, advance students that have prior knowledge of
code.

Wrap up

Teaching young learners how to code on a large scale will help change the paradigm of
children, and ultimately adults, from being technology consumers to technology producers.
And that's precisely what our students and our country need right now. So jump in and start
coding today!!!

References
Davis, V. (2013, December 4). 15 Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without
a Computer).
Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/15-ways- teaching-students-coding-vicki-davis?
utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=15-wayscode-withoutcomputer&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_term=firstimage
Every child deserves opportunity. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://code.org
Free Coding Guide for Beginners. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http:// www.codeconquest.com/
Harrell, M. (2015, March 17). Add Coding to Your Elementary Curriculum. . . Right Now. Retrieved April 10,
2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/add-coding-elementary- curriculum-now-matt-harrell?
utm_content=blog&utm_campaign=adding-coding-to- curriculumnow&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_term=first-image
The Hour of Code is here. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://hourofcode.com/ca
Turtle Academy - learn logo programming in your browser free programming materials for
kids. (n.d.).
Retrieved April 10, 2015, from http://turtleacademy.com/learn.php