This Month October, is all about education
In Canada, we are lucky to have access to free education opportunities beginning in childhood. Education influences the way we think and learn and in many ways, it shapes who we become as an individual. In recent years, education styles have had to evolve to suit the needs of new technological advancements and even the attention-span concerns that accompany these changes.
Everybody has different learning styles, whether you like things hands-on and visual, or if you’re more of a memorization textbook learner. The places you learn and teachers you have impact these ways of learning and what each person is capable of achieving. It’s important that students have a learning space where they feel safe to provide their ideas and where their learning preferences are being met in order for education to be as successful as it can be.
Technology has allowed us to educate in a way like never before. We have a world of information at our fingertips and can instantly educate ourselves on topics with a quick internet search. Most classrooms now utilize the digital tools available to administer tests, check for plagiarism, and find content to teach. It has also opened an entire new subject of education — technology and computer science education. What are some ways we can use technology to aid education and not have it distract from the content?
This month, we’d like to challenge you to pause, reflect and learn about topics, problems, concerns around the topic of education – as you create your web projects.
How to participate this month:
As you learn about and develop fluency on digital tools and programming languages, we would like for you to explore the topic of education. We’ll leave what you want to focus on up to you – but thinking about how to create safe learning experiences for everyone– might be a great starting point!
For example, how might we….
- Understand why standardized testing has become a norm in western education?
- Discover patterns in learning styles and what exactly might influence them?
- Understand how and when peer-to-peer learning is effective?
- Build more awareness of how technology can be used in classrooms successfully?
We welcome you to be as imaginative as you like – but here are some example project ideas:
- Create a video game that shows how students can both get distracted by technology and use it to learn.
- Create an interactive story about how different people have different learning styles and how their needs can be met.
- Build a website that allows people to find education and learning opportunities not confined to a classroom, in their area.
- For educators, build a lesson plan that explains why education is important and how students can use peer-to-peer learning to strengthen their existing skills.
Share your digital projects with us!
Share photos, screenshots or videos of your digital projects you’ve started using the #clcCode4Change hashtag! We want to see what you end up creating. Remember that learning something new is a work-in-progress. We hope you continue to work on the project you’ve started with us – beyond the classroom!
Get inspired!
- A video to discover your own learning style.
- Explore this article outlining tips on how to create a safe learning environment.
- A blog post about what peer-to-peer learning is and how to implement it successfully.
- A series of educational games for kids.
- A video explaining different learning styles and the importance of critical self-reflection
- A video showing why education across the world is so crucial.