Discussions

Your Name and Title: Ms. Almelyn Labay

School or Organization Name: University of the Philippines Diliman

Co-Presenter Name(s): Ms. Averil Santos

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Southeast Asia (Philippines)

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience(s): Teachers (Especially those who teach programming), students of all ages

Short Session Description (one line):

One way to be global is to be technological. We live in a technology-driven world and why don’t we make use of that advantage to make our kids aware of some aspects of technology and actively participate in the global exchange of skills and ideas through coding, making education accessible to all.

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):

We live in a technology-driven world. Coding is a huge part of it. However, it is rarely discussed in schools, in the formal education setting. Nowadays, it is important for everyone to be aware of these aspects of technology whether or not it would be necessary for one’s profession. As a result, many people, particularly the adults, perceive coding as a scary thing. But this should not be a barrier to be exposed in this kind of environment.

Coding and programming improve basic understanding of technology and how things work. This also involves problem solving as well as thinking skills that will make children of our society critical and creative in solving everyday problems, and in the future, world problems. Through coding games such as Lightbot, Robozzle, Code Combat, and a lot more, students are introduced to coding and programming basics such as procedures, debugging, loops, functions, conditions, and a lot more.

Teaching how to code through games offers education about technology and coding accessible to all. It allows all of these things to develop in a challenging but fun and accessible way. For parents and educators, entertaining while teaching would easily be achieved and at the same time developing children into technologically and globally competitive individuals.

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: http://codecombat.com/, http://lightbot.com/hocflash.html