Unlike the nine and 10-year-olds she teaches, Glengala Primary School teacher Elise McMahon had no idea what coding was until she taught herself the basics a few months ago.
The grade 3/4 teacher said she was well aware of the growing presence of technology in the classroom so she decided to teach herself how to code (a shorthand term for computer programming) so she could offer voluntary, extra-curricular classes for kids wanting to improve their tech skills.
And while she knew of students’ love of Minecraft, a computer game that allows players to build a world using 3-D blocks, she wasn’t expecting one third of the entire school to show up to her first Coding Club meeting at lunchtime last Wednesday.
“We had 50 students; every year level was represented,” she said. “If we keep getting so many we might have to start holding it twice a week.”
The pupils had to design a simple robot in the shape of a bee and will eventually build up their skills to use the school’s 3-D printer.
“Technology is their way of life now,” Ms McMahon said.
“Almost every student has an iPad at home … we thought we’d just give coding a go.”
