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When
you visit,
you will
SGG...
• small groups of children working
together and learning in new ways.
smiles on our students’faces.
• care in our teachers’guidance.
• the acquisition of lifelong skills in
everything we do.
THE EPSTEIN SCHOOL
Solomon Schechter School of Atlanta
335 COLEWOOD WAY NW | SANDY SPRINGS, GA 30328-2956 | EPSTEINATLANTA.ORG
Federation
VJ# _A
Lovett
www.lovett.org
Developing young men
and women of honor,
faith, and wisdom with
the character and intellect
to thrive in college and in life.
OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, Nov. 12
Kindergarten, 1:00 pm
Sunday, Nov. 13
Grades 1-5,1:00 pm
Grades 6-8, 3:30 pm
Wednesday, Jan. 25
Grades 9-12, 6:30 pm
The Lovett School practices
a nondiscriminatory admission
policy. Financial aid is available.
Cracking the Code
Kids and teens learn computer language at Start Code
Start Code students focus on a variety of coding languages in their clubhouse learning center.
By Grace Huseth
What does a phone app, microwave and car have in common? They all rely on
code, a special computer language that makes the majority of the things in our world
work. As technology continues to grow, more and more of our everyday items, jobs and
enjoyment will benefit from coding. However, learning to use technology can feel like
cracking a secret code.
Coding is simply a set of instructions that make your computer do what you
want it to do, but finding the resources to learn to code is not so simple. Only one
in four schools offer kids computer science classes, and online learning doesn’t teach
application. Since coding is essential, many believe computer science should be just as
important in core curriculum as other courses such as biology, chemistry or algebra.
Information technology guru Scott Blanck started a coding center for kids and
teens in 2011 called Start Code. Here coding is taught in a flexible environment that
combines class and lab time with mentoring. Students learn not only how to code and
create with digital tools, but also learn how to apply these skills through projects and
team activities.
“Our goal is to make it fun, but at the same time teach real languages that kids can
go far with,” said Blanck.
Kids enjoy learning what’s behind the games they are playing and desire to design
their own. Blanck was inspired to create a center that his middle school self would have
enjoyed as well, and continues to foster creativity in a computer clubhouse at Toco
Hills Shopping Center.
There is no typical day at Start Code. While the curriculum has clear learning
objectives, students work at their own pace and are invited to jump around and
use different code languages like Scratch, Python, Java, Processing, mobile app
development and more. Students are programming games, telling multimedia stories
and learning about technology.
Blanck said that learning to code is like learning a foreign language, starting with a
foundation, applying the rules and then branching out to other uses.
“Similar to other languages, coding languages all have different strengths and
weaknesses,” he said. “Learning one exposes your brain to a different way of thinking
and it’s easier to pick up further ones from there.”
Many students start with Scratch, which teaches kids how to program by dragging
and connecting blocks of text. Then they move on to more sophisticated languages
including Python and Java.
Jobs in computer science are growing rapidly, and some students may not have to
move far from Atlanta to find a good career using code. The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Employment Projections says 71 percent of all new STEM jobs in Georgia are in
computing. Georgia currently has 20,000 open computing jobs, 4.4 times the average
demand rate.
“Atlanta is great for corporate or mid- to large-sized companies, and hopefully we
will grow on the smaller front as well,” Blanck said.
In fact, Blanck said any career moving forward will be affected by this computer
science boom, from marketing to science, and from journalism to project management.
The first step is to get everyone an introduction to coding.
One coding movement is code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to
computer science. Each December the global crusade hosts “Hour of Code” events
that offer students a quick peek into the coding world for the first time. While they
may not become computer scientists, they will have a leg up understanding emerging
technology and how it applies to their passions.
“Having the exposure to coding gives you the opportunity to try it, and you may
find something you really like,” Blanck said, [d
36 September 2016 | ITT
AtlantalNtownPaper.com