(Response to prompt #4: Outline screen-free coding and why (or why not) you think it should exist in the classroom)

The idea of screen-free coding was completely new to me this week, so I did a bit of reading on it outside of class to better understand what it was all about. As you can see in the above picture, learning to code does not always involve a computer! I found the article linked below interesting, and it gave lots of fun and simple ideas of screen-free games for kids that teach coding skills.

https://www.robowunderkind.com/blog/diy-coding-activities-for-kids-without-screen

Out of curiosity, I looked at some screen-free coding teaching tool/lesson plan bundles on Canadian Classroom. I really liked the look of the “Bee Bots” for younger primary students, I would love a set one day (linked below for my wish list, or yours). I think I liked the Bee Bots so much because they reminded me of more traditional children’s toys like the yellow bus pictured below- I tend to feel put-off by coding activities for kids that look to “grown up” and robotic because they don’t fit into my (perhaps outdated) idea of what is fun for kids.

https://www.canadianclassroom.com/collections/robots-for-coding/type/screen-free/bundle-4-bee-bots-and-korbo-430.html

Screen-free coding as I now understand it is any activity that relies upon and teaches fundamental coding skills without using a screen. Some screen-free coding activities use electricity, such as Bee Bots for example, and others use very basic technology without electricity, such as gears and cogs. But some of these activities are so simple that essentially no tools are needed- such as the chalk-and-water gun coding activity in the first linked website. There’s a huge range of potential ways to code screen free for all age and ability levels.

I had to sneak a little joke in here, so there’s a picture of hopscotch- which I think could be turned into a screen-free coding activity, but is also a coding language and app for kids (linked below).

https://www.gethopscotch.com/
Anyhow, now that I have a decent understanding of screen-free coding, it’s something I will definitely be bringing into my future classroom. I think it’s great for so many reasons, but here’s a few:

  1. Students need to be technologically literate to make it in nearly any part of today’s job market, and knowing how to code is a huge asset
  2. Screen-free coding is a fairly palatable, easy to grasp way to introduce a very large skill set that some people view as unimportant or out of reach
  3. Coding without screens is often much more affordable and accessible than coding with them, especially when working in the public school system
  4. Students today tend to spend a lot of time on screens, which is not the best for their development in many ways- having screen-free moments whenever possible, especially when they can incorporate the fun parts of screen time, is what we need
  5. Tools and methods for screen-free coding often don’t have the limitations of wifi connection, water sensitivity, fragility, and battery life that coding with screens does
  6. Coding without screens can bring kids outdoors more and teach them how foundational coding skills apply to real life scenarios such as games, cooking, driving, visual art, and more

So, I guess I am a coding convert thanks to screen-free coding! I’m really looking forward to learning more about this topic, and eventually finding my own ways to build activities centred around it.