Program in Estonia designed to have all students age 7 to 16 learn to write code in a drive to turn children from consumers to developers of technology.
I am very curious, as well, and trying to find more information. I think it would necessarily be a program that expands with their comprehension and maturity... starting with very basic "Move the Turtle" applications and then grown with the student, hopefully to real world application, as they go until age 16!
Who initiated this ProgreTiiger program? The Estonian government? Local IT companies? Concerned parents who disparately wanted their children to learn to code?
Estonia is very wired country and it's economy has found a niche in IT services, so much so that it's even been dubbed "eStonia" (http://e-estonia.com/). This program seems to be an example of market forces guiding educational policy since there are clear incentives for it's population to be technologically literate to ensure it's competitiveness and dominance in the tech sector (see: The Many Reasons Estonia Is a Tech Start-Up Nation (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303734204577464343888754210.html)
A little blurb on how "plug-in" Estonia actually is:
"The geeks have triumphed in this country of 1.3 million. Some 40 percent read a newspaper online daily, more than 90 percent of bank transactions are done over the Internet, and the government has embraced online voting. The country is saturated in free Wi-Fi, cell phones can be used to pay for parking or buy lunch, and Skype is taking over the international phone business from its headquarters on the outskirts of Tallinn. In other words, Estonia - or eStonia, as some citizens prefer - is like a window into the future. Someday, the rest of the world will be as wired as this tiny Baltic nation." (http://www.wired.com/politics/security/magazine/15-09/ff_estonia)
p.s. I hate sensational titles like "Guess Who's Winning the Brain's Race" Learning coding doesn't automatically make your brain bigger or necessarily increase your intelligence. Sure, it's a very useful skill, but I wonder what classes will be cut out to make time in the school day for coding. Coding vs recess: Tough call.
Hmmm.... I read about Estonia being very plugged in as well. I wonder if there is research on whether the kids are actually learning better as a result. I think that you have a point Jeffrey. It depends what the cost is. If kids are missing some critical lesson because they are coding at such a young age, there may be a trade-off. On the other hand, maybe the skills they are obtaining from coding are more critical. I wonder...
This is going to bring out the inner nerd in everyone....
The Layar browser (video above) looks at an environment through the phone’s camera, and the app displays houses for sale, popular restaurants and shops, and tourist attractions
Where does this information come from? Who creates this information? Selected sources/companies who pay to have their information posted? A whole new competitive marketing strategy in the making.
it’s not truly real-time: The app can’t analyze data it hasn’t downloaded ahead of time.
I can only imagine crowds of people walking the streets staring at their apps, running into people and lamp posts, not to mention getting run over by cars... I think this technology might weirdly affect the health insurance industry.
You know more, you find more, or you see something you haven’t seen before.
this is supposed to be the advantage of using AR from a commercial perspective... it is still self-centralized.
Nokia is currently testing an AR app called Point & Find, which involves pointing your camera phone at real-world objects and planting virtual information tags on them
This can be a really cool feature for teachers if they have a closed-group option. If you are part of the large network, there is all sorts of things people might plant that you don't want to see or know about... Another thought, if there is a closed-group option, perhaps this will create a whole new way of drug trafficking and helping illegal organizations hide information from authorities.
the hardware is finally catching up to our needs
Nvidia Tegra, a powerful chip specializing in high-end graphics for mobile devices.
place (real) Skittles on the physical map and shoot them to set off (virtual) bombs
How can mobile apps help students select colleges and universities?
Two Spelman College students designed a phone app to educate others about historically black colleges and universities.
This article outlines four ways that Quick Response codes scanned with smart phones could be used in formal education settings. The ideas are intriguing, such as keeping track of a students work throughout their school career and opening up lines of communication to parents.
I love the idea of a educational career portfolio using this technology. Can you imagine sending your QR code along with a college application to get a true picture of the type of student you have been and can become? The idea of using the QR codes with parents sounds like a great alternative to all the papers that get sent home (and lost) throughout the year, I just wonder what percentage of parents are equipped to handle that type of technology use.
Many believe AR is the tipping point for mobile phones to supplant desktop searches in the next few years.
Things in our real-world tagged with barcodes could provide much more information, which could Internet of Thingsthen be updated without having to change the original tag
great article. relevant to today's discussion about web 2.0 / social media. for those who didn't read it. Here's there article's list of interesting sms based tools for education use:
Remind101: Remind101 allows teachers to send text messages (and email) home -- to students and/or to parents -- to offer reminders and updates for class. Remind101 allows teachers to communicate with their classes without either teacher or students having to share their phone numbers.
Poll Everywhere: As the name suggests, Poll Everywhere allows teachers to use cellphones for polling in class. Students text their responses, using their cellphones to give feedback, answer questions, take quizzes.
Celly: Celly provides SMS-based group messaging. Classrooms can use the service to take quick polls and quizzes, filter messages, get news updates, take notes, and organize and hold study groups. The groups can be public or private, moderated or open.
StudyBoost: StudyBoost allows students to study via SMS-based quizzes. The questions can be self- or teacher-created, and can be multiple choice or open-ended.
See a need, build something to meet the need, and go from there... StudyBoost is the result of a brother watching his brother and friend try to study for the GMAT without carrying around the book. Born: an IM client that allows for collaboration on questions and answers applicable to the test by both students and teachers - wherever and whenever. For Wiske's class - wouldn't this fit nicely into the CoI and PI models? If so, why wouldn't school embrace this use instead of worrying about inappropriate use of phones in class? Make the lesson or assignment engaging enough - generative enough - to hook and sustain appropriate interaction on the device that 93% of children have ACCESS to? Sounds like a win-win?