Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Sparking Creativity and Curiosity

It has been a while since my last blog post, but in that amount of time, I have spent countless hours reading, questioning and brainstorming how we can create learning environments for our kids that truly spark creativity and curiosity.

I continue to read about the importance of coding and computer science, yet I have a vague understanding of what it actually is.  I see numerous tweets related to coding and programming and the need to include it in our curriculum.  I have met with computer science curriculum developers and entrepreneurs.  Let's just say I am "curious" about this topic and eager to learn more.

I want to thank one of my teachers, John Heath, who shared with me information about "The Hour of Code 2013."  This hour-long "introduction to computer science is designed to demystify 'code' and show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, an innovator."  I would encourage individuals, departments, clubs, schools and systems to join in this movement.

I have more questions than answers.  I do not know where to start.  I might just learn something from this opportunity.  I can only imagine that once I have the knowledge, my creativity will be ignited and I may begin solving real-world problems with my knowledge of coding or I might be engaged and passionate about learning more.

I know what you are thinking.  The last thing I have time for is an hour-long computer science lesson.  Or...if I focus on this for an hour, what am I giving up?  We need to be risk-takers. We need to find the time and commit to the learning.

Let's work together to create conditions where we can explore the things we are curious about.  Who will join me December 9-15 to learn more?