Author: Beth

Best Practices In Teaching Students To Code

Posted on by Beth

Coding…Programming…Syntax

What do you think of when I mention those words?

Some teachers say:

“I have no experience, I could never teach coding/programming!”

“I teach science, not coding.”

“How can I teach something I know nothing about?”

My answers:

“You don’t need the experience to teach coding.”

“Science teachers, along with all core subject area teachers, can easily integrate coding into their curriculum.”

“Again, you don’t need the experience to teach coding.”

About eight years ago I started teaching coding. I was a “Computer Lab” teacher transitioned into “Introduction to Computers” again transitioned into “Computer Literacy” and lastly “Digital Literacy” teacher. Phew!!

It goes without saying that technology is ever-changing. Technology created yesterday will be outdated tomorrow. A new device, application, or website reveals their next best tool for learning this school year, and then next it is something else. My technology director always said to me, “Ask yourself, is it a new fad or is it engaging and purposeful across the board? Will the students learn and grow or will it be purely ‘fun’ with a one and done type scenario?”

When coding and programming became the main topic at a faculty meeting, I began to research.

I asked myself.

“Is it a new fad or is it engaging and purposeful across the board? Will the students learn and grow or will it be purely ‘fun’ with a one and done type scenario?”

I was instantly sold that this was a must-have in my classroom. We all know now the benefits of coding/programming.

  • Logical thinking
  • Problem-solving
  • Creativity
  • Perseverance
  • Resilience

However, how do I teach something I know nothing about? Everyone assumed since I was the “computer” teacher, I knew how to code. ABSOLUTELY, NOT!

I taught students K-5. I started with K-2 doing unplugged activities and for my 4th-5th we started with block coding. The unplugged activities were very easy to understand and I was able to easily create my own material. However, I didn’t know anything about block coding except the fact that you clicked and dragged blocks. What did the blocks mean, how did I order them, what is a ‘sprite’ – soda right?

When I announced to my upper elementary students that I was thinking about doing a unit on coding, the students immediately cheered. However, when the students found out that my idea of coding was block style the cheers turned into groans.

“Mrs. Renda, we do block coding all the time. We want to do more, like, create a video game or a website or an app!”

So we had a discussion based on what the students were interested in and what they already knew or wanted to know. We narrowed it down to HTML, CSS, and Javascript.

My brain:  “What just happened? I was okay with block coding but I didn’t even know what HTML stood for until a student in the class told me. My brain reminded my lungs to breathe. How do I proceed?”

Rule #1:  Learn with your students

I am a teacher, and no I don’t know everything. Say this to yourself in the mirror, and believe it! Yes, we are expected to know our content area but technology might not be your jam. That’s Okay! This is a great opportunity to teach a growth mindset, resilience, and perseverance. Be honest with the students.

“This is new to me, but I thought it would be exciting to learn it together. I am sure that some of you probably know more than me.”

This leads me to the next rule.

Rule #2:  Lean on the experts

When I say ‘experts’, I mean the students. Yup!! Giving students the power to become the ‘teacher’ is a sure way to go. By having your advanced students help with FAQs or your questions that are very frequent, you have your own personal IT department to help you along the way. Give the students ownership of a bulletin board to display how-to demos or those FAQs. This technique works twofold, not only is the student helping others (and you), but they are taking a leadership role and feeling empowered.

So you are learning along with the students, have your experts picked out, but now what?

Rules #3:  Interest drives the learning

Give the student the steering wheel! it’s okay, let go, give up control. Let the students figure out the gas pedal and how to control their speed. Letting them take the wheel sort of speaking will give them autonomy, ownership, empowerment, excitement, and the drive for hard play. You will love it when the students turn on their headlights and start driving on their own.

If you are interested in learning more, tune in to our upcoming webinar (or watch the recorded version) where we will share other practical tips and evidence-based methods for teaching students code. In the webinar, we will discuss the PRIMM method, Pair Programming, and how to use Worked Examples with code comments. All previously-recorded webinars can be found here on our website.

The Advantages Of Teaching Students How To Code

Posted on by Beth

My journey with coding began as a 6-year-old in the 90s with Logo. At that time, the computers in my school were still not connected to the Internet, so our teacher wrote all the commands on the blackboard, and we followed the instructions. 

One day a classmate & I got our hands on a library book and discovered we could change the screen color from dull black. It was a simple case of changing the RGB values. After a few minutes of playing around, the computer teacher happened to glance onto our screen, and oh boy, we were in for trouble. We got scolded for not following the instructions given in class. The logic was that we would not be ‘tested’ on this; hence it was pointless knowing it.

So, from the next class onwards, my friend and I would take the computer farthest away from the teacher’s desk and keep the monitor at an angle to block the teacher’s view. We did get into trouble, but we learned a lot more. I knew that RGB stood for Red, Blue, and Green and that the interior angles in a quadrilateral add up to 360 degrees. I figured that if the sides of a polygon are the same, the angles will be the same and vice versa. It was only about four years later that I learned that such a polygon is called a Regular Polygon, and someone called Euclid spoke about it years ago (becoming world-famous as the founder of geometry).

“Be curious. Read widely. Try new things. I think a lot of what people call intelligence boils down to curiosity.” -Aaron Swartz

This learning experience has left a long-lasting impression on me and continues to influence my work in education and technology. Here are a few things I have learned: 

  1. Learning to code is for everyone
    We know for a fact that not everyone will become a programmer or developer, but everyone will interact and build with technology. Due to this latter part, it becomes imperative that young people today understand how technology works and is developed. For example, I’m not a programmer, but my understanding of how it works helps me guide curriculum, product, and even business decisions. 

“Programming is not about typing; it’s about thinking.” – Rich Hickey.

  1. Learning to code is about thinking and exploring.
    Allen Downey, the professor of Computer Science at Olin College of Engineering, writes in this article for The Scientific American that “The ability to execute code makes programming a tool for thinking and exploring. When we express ideas as programs, we make them testable; when we debug programs, we also debug our brains.”
    Learning to think (clearly, critically, and creatively) is essential for children. It is the foundation of their future selves. Only when they explore will they truly know what they enjoy and are good at, paving the way to discover their careers and, hopefully, passions!
  2. Learning to code is about solving problems and being empathetic
    Ultimately, the purpose of using code is to create tools that solve problems or enhance the human experience. To solve problems, no matter their complexity, one is required to think deeply and ask “why?” multiple times. So coding doesn’t only help develop problem-solving skills but also teaches us to be empathetic.
  3. Coding makes you resilient.
    “Bugs” have become a common term now. It refers to a problem with code or software. For example, while learning to code, all children (and even seasoned professionals) will make mistakes, resulting in bugs. To solve these problems, they will have to “debug” their code and find ways to fix it. So, debugging doesn’t just make you resilient it also helps one improve their attention to detail.
    PS: Read about the world’s first computer bug here.
  4. Coding is a medium of creativity!
    I believe that creativity manifests diverse ideas bonding together in our minds. Coding helps people express their creativity by creating tools like websites, apps, online platforms, or experiences in VR/AR or showcase their mathematical creativity by storytelling with data visualizations or pushing the envelope of art. Check Google’s project called DevArt, a showcase of “people using technology as their canvas and code as their raw material.”

Now, you’ll be wondering how to dabble in code. We’ve got you covered with seven free projects on BSD Online! So do check them out here.

I’d love to hear your experience around teaching students to code, tips, and what tools you use to develop digital skills, including coding in your children.

Beyond Blocks: First Steps In Text-based Coding

Posted on by Beth

I first started using the now famous block-based coding application called Scratch in 2012 with version 1.4. I was teaching a summer camp program inside of a makerspace and was teaching students how to make their own maze-style video games. For all of the students, it was their first time trying coding, and most were skeptical that they could make their own game or learn how to code. So I prefaced the class that we would be making something that looked more like Pac-man and less like the modern graphics-intensive games they were used to. Most of the students were impressed with the results of the Scratch environment’s straightforward interface and 2D graphics. All of the students walked away with a cool new video game and a sense of accomplishment because block-based coding was so accessible and easy to use.

Since then, I have used several block-b犀利士 ased coding platforms to help students get started. One thing that has been difficult over the years is to help students transition to text-based programming with languages like JavaScript and Python. The blocks, like Lego, are very intuitive and provide structure for programming. However, a blinking cursor on a blank text-based programming environment is less inviting and less stimulating. Many students are eager to try text-based coding but are intimidated by the process. I have found that the key to this transition lies in three pedagogical practices:

  1. Live Coding
  2. Syntax Learning
  3. Tinkering

Live Coding

Live coding is when you, as the teacher, start to program while verbally explaining every line of code with students while they follow along on their computers, going line by line. While leading students, you can also draw parallels to block-based programming by showing examples of how the programming elements are the same in both environments. The Microsoft MakeCode environment is conducive because it automatically translates block-code to JavaScript or Python.

Syntax Learning

Syntax Learning is when you treat syntax like any other vocabulary learning from a traditional subject. You can have students make vocabulary cards, practice identifying terms and definitions and even play syntax bingo. Any traditional vocabulary exercises also work with coding syntax.

Tinkering

Tinkering is the art of playing around with something until you learn how it works. This approach should be used after students have some general knowledge of the basics, so they don’t feel completely overwhelmed or lost. In Tinkering, failures and mistakes are seen as opportunities to grow and learn because there are no serious objectives.

Even with all three of these pedagogical practices, teaching text-based coding to students may still be challenging, with which only time and practice will make perfect. If you want to deep dive into research-based methods for teaching students to code with a “coding as a second language” approach, I highly recommend the research and tools designed by Felienne Hermans. She has even developed a programming language called Hedy, aimed at teaching students how to code from the perspective of acquiring a new language.

To learn more about this, tune into our upcoming webinar on the topic. If you are reading this article after the date of the webinar, no problem! All previously recorded webinars can be found here on our website.

The Coding Journey From A Teacher’s Perspective

Posted on by Beth

If you are a teacher, then you can relate to this! We have all been in that situation where something is sprung on us at the last minute. We, as teachers, have to adapt to change daily.

Picture it…you are in the first faculty meeting of the year, you have a million things to do before the students arrive, and the principal announces that he has great news. Of course, you brace yourself because his idea of great news usually means more on your plate.

He proceeds to announce that he challenges everyone to try something new this year, especially something that encourages computational thinking and maybe a computer language (as he turns and winks at me, the digital literacy teacher).

My insides crumbled, and I instantly wanted to SCREAM.

Teachers spend much of their summer decompressing, but we also plan for the next school year. Especially in August, with a start date of September. We have nameplates written, numbers assigned to the students, and our curriculum maps were written over the summer and placed nicely in your brand new binder. We have a “plan” for the year already laid out. As the Digital Literacy teacher, I have requested all the applications I need for the year and whitelisted all the websites too. 

After the faculty meeting, I instantly went into my principal’s office.

Me: Now I need to teach a computer language?

Principal: Yes

Me: I don’t know how to code. I am not a programmer.

Principal: You’ll figure something out.

Me: Which computer language? Who’s going to teach me?

Principal: Ummmm, I don’t know and if you need PD, let me know. 

So, off I went! I started searching for a computer language that I could understand AND teach. I stumbled upon a lesson using binary numbers and thought, “I can do this.” The lesson was very detailed, and I could even find a video of the lesson in action. (you can locate the lesson here and the video here.)

Let me just say, “Drop Mic!”

I nailed the lesson, the kids were SO engaged, and I received “highly effective” for my observation.

So I brushed off my hands and said, “Done!”

Wait, not so fast! The students kept asking:

“Are we going to do more with binary?”

“How about block coding? I do that at home.”

“Mrs. Renda…we want to learn more about computer languages.”

My principal heard the buzz and called me into his office.

Principal: You did it! The students are chatting about coding. Do more!

Me: What?? More??

So, again I went home that night and researched block coding. Hmmm, block coding seems easy. I’ll just throw the students on that application and see what they make. Let them explore.

STOP!! Epic fail!

Many students struggled, asked tons of questions, and said at the end of class, “Can we go back to binary? This was too confusing, and it wasn’t fun.”

What? Really? So I thought about it. Why were they getting so frustrated? They are on computers all the time, playing games and watching videos. Why couldn’t they do this? What was so different between the binary lesson and block coding?

And then it clicked! I EXPLAINED the binary lesson, we TALKED about key vocabulary, we PRACTICED as a whole group, and then they worked INDEPENDENTLY. 

Why would I change the way I teach so drastically? Of course, the students need an explanation. When they learn to read, we don’t just throw a book in their hands and say “read”. We don’t put them in front of a bunsen burner before explaining how to use it. Why would the coding be any different?

Okay, RESTART.

The next day I announced that we are going to revisit block coding. The crowd groaned. “Now wait…give me a chance.”

I admitted to them that I was also new to this and that we would learn together. A few students who have done block coding spoke up and said they would help along the way.

So we dove in….

  1. Engagement. I showed them some sample projects created using block-style coding. I was starting to pique their interest based on the whispers.
  1. Explore. Then I showed them the workspace and blocks, and we talked about the common vocabulary words like sprites and costumes. My more experienced students gave some tips and suggestions that made it very helpful.
  1. Learn. I gave them a beginner-level project that was already done for them. This allowed them to play with the different blocks that were already presented to them.
  1. Create. The next day the students felt more confident with their new skill and said they were ready to try another project. This time I gave them a beginner-level project where they only had to use a few blocks to create an animated name. 

From there, the students were off and running. Those with a more difficult time reached out to those more advanced. I watched the students and learned right along with them.

At the end of the day, I got called into the principal’s office AGAIN!

Me: (deep breath and release)

Principal: Thank you for taking this “coding project.” The students seem to be enjoying it.

Me: (big smile) Thank you!

Principal: Sooooo, now the students and parents are asking for a Girls Who Code club. Is anyone that would be interested in being the advisor? (wink, wink) Oh, and do more coding in your classroom too!

Here we go again, but this time I GOT THIS! 

I asked myself:

  1. Where do I go for the curriculum?
  2. Will the students and I need to learn another application?
  3. How do I, as the teacher, teach something I know nothing about?

Turn to BSD Education!

BSD Education provides a curriculum that is skill-based, not age-based. All the projects are real-world, scaffolded, easy to follow, and linked to CSTA and ISTE standards.

Each project comes with a slide deck containing teaching notes, a planning document when needed, a guided project for the students, quizzes to assess understanding, and the ability to export their project into sandbox mode where the students can get creative with the code or the teacher can integrate the project into their core curriculum.

BSD Education allows students to express their interests and passions by using HTML, CSS, and JS, which are languages used by professionals. BSD uses these languages to teach digital skills such as digital citizenship, problem-solving, and computational thinking.

BSD’s platform is easy for both the teacher and the student. They provide an easy and safe way for students to log in via Google or Microsoft, a user-friendly username and password, and a generated secret code to join the classroom.

The platform provides a way for the students and teacher to collaborate and a convenient way for students to ask for help, which not only notifies the teacher but also gives you a link to the step they are having trouble with.

The student’s progress is shown in real-time and provides built-in quizzes to check for understanding.

BSD Education provides the support needed to help every teacher successfully teach digital skills. BSD provides professional development to help you set up your classroom, invite students, and choose the best courses and projects that best meet your student’s needs. 

But wait, there’s more (sorry, I couldn’t resist!)

Seriously…usually, that’s where the support ends. However, BSD Education provides continuous support throughout the school year by lending 1:1 coaching sessions, on-demand online support, glossary cards to support the student (and the teacher), and model answers to all projects. 

Nailed it!

Mic drop!

4 Quick Tips to Get Your Students Hooked to Tech Class

Posted on by Beth

Sometimes, getting our students to feel as excited as we do about tech class can be challenging! You might hear different comments floating around the classroom: “Oh! I can learn to be a hacker!”, “Hm…I am not very good with computers….” “But I don’t want to be a computer programmer!” In my classroom, I have found that contextualization and setting expectations are consistently the most powerful way to get students interested and engaged. The way we contextualize is ever-changing, and here are four things you can bring into your next class!

1. Set the scene

Before each unit, project, and/or topic, set the scene and help your students see the connection to what you teach them and how it relates to the real world. Students become naturally curious and engaged when they see the topic’s relevance in their lives.

What to do: You can ask students where they have seen this type of technology before. Keep your conversation open – there is no “right” or “wrong.” 

Skill gain: Critical thinking

2. Set clear expectations

Be transparent about the learning journey and set expectations. Explain to students that this is the beginning of their journey as coders/programmers; during class time, it is the time to explore possibilities together. They may find different areas relatable and appealing in tech; some may have an appetite for design, some are debugging wizards, or some are great entrepreneurs! Having an open mind about programming and how it shows daily will help them stay engaged. 

What to do: Take 5 minutes each session to ask students to set a personal learning goal for themselves. Then, get each of them to share. From there, manage expectations and offer ideas for achieving that goal. 

Skill gain: Adaptability

3. Make it real!

Keep students engaged during tech class and bring more interactivity to your classroom – this will make YOUR life more manageable.

What to do: Ask students to imagine that they are working at an agency. Put them into pairs or teams. They will be held accountable for each other’s learning throughout the week! For each lesson, allocate at least two stand-up (2-3 minutes sharing sessions) and feedback sessions. You can ask students to do their stand-ups at each lesson’s start, middle, and/or end. Ask students to consider:

  • What surprised me about the learning?
  • How might I use this learning in my daily life?
  • Where do I see the connection of the technology I learned today to my daily life?
  • What do you like about your team’s work? How might you improve it?
  • What will I customize in this project?
  • How would I improve or change this project if I knew how to?

Skill gain: Communication

4. “Am I just copying and pasting code?”

In the early stages of our students’ technology journeys, they may wonder: “I feel like all I am doing is copy and paste – is this really coding?!‘

At the beginning of the school year or semester, explain to students that the tech projects you will do together will teach them fundamental coding and programming concepts. The main focus and objective are for them to understand how the code interacts to create something – our goal is not for them to memorize code! We do not encourage “mindless” copy-and-pasting.

A successful programmer/coder is not defined by how much code they can type. Instead, they are defined by how well they can piece together code effectively. 

What to do: Check in often with students and ask them to explain what they have just done to their partner/team.

Skill gain: Creativity

I hope these four tips can excite your tech class and encourage your students to see that tech class is not just about using a computer. Instead, it is a chance to consider technology’s broader perspective and impact and the valuable skills to help them get “future-ready”!

Exploring Computational Thinking in the Classroom

Posted on by Beth

Educators have frequently discussed computational thinking (or CT for short) as a critical component of 21st Century Skills. Computer scientists like Seymour Papert, Alan Perlis, Marvin Minsky, and Jeannette Wing have envisioned an essential part of every child’s education. This article will explore Computational Thinking and some ideas on how every teacher can bring it into their classroom. 

Jeannette Wing from Columbia University defines it as, “Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer-human or machine—can effectively carry out.” In other words, CT allows us to take a complex problem, understand what the problem is and develop possible solutions. We can then present these solutions so that a computer, a human, or both, can understand.

Frequently CT is divided into four components (sometimes referred to as cornerstones or techniques):

  1. Decomposition – breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts 
  2. Pattern recognition – looking for similarities among and within problems 
  3. Abstraction – focusing on the important information only, ignoring irrelevant detail 
  4. Algorithms – developing a step-by-step solution to the problem or the rules to follow to solve the problem

An easy way to visualize CT in action is to think about making a simple breakfast. Next, imagine making peanut butter and jam sandwich with tea. You now have the end goal. From here, you work backward and make the dishes by putting together the ingredients and most minor manageable actions. 

Source: Barefoot Computing

Computational thinking in the classroom is not limited to the Computer Science lesson. It can be integrated into various subjects, for example: 

  1. Language Learning / Literature: In younger grades or for students learning a new language, make word/phrase cards about a story or sequence of events and ask the students to use logic and their general awareness to put together the jumbled story in the correct order. Older students can “program” a story with alternate pathways, i.e., create a Choose Your Own Adventure game. 
  2. Mathematics: Use decomposition to solve word problems and express generalizations (as algebraic representations) by identifying and recognizing patterns after analyzing data. 
  3. Business Studies/Economics: Making a decision tree for business decisions/choices, making financial models, business plans, and exit plan scenarios, or getting students to develop menus and recipes for a restaurant. 
  4. Social Sciences: Study data and Identify patterns/trends in wars & other historical events, then create visualizations of these patterns and trends. 

With computing becoming ubiquitous in all walks of life, industries, and organizations, it is of critical importance that educators infuse Computational Thinking across the curriculum. This will help students develop a strong foundation for 21st-century skills and the ever-evolving and rapidly changing world of work. 


We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to learn more about using BSD Education’s Digital Skills Curriculum to bring Computational Thinking into your classroom.

Digital Citizenship: How Should We Approach It In Education?

Posted on by Beth

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about the true meaning of digital citizenship. I spoke about being a digital citizen and what it means to be a ‘good’ digital citizen. As of January 2021, almost 60% of the global population are active internet users (4.66 billion people). I was recently with a friend’s 15-month old who can’t walk but knows how to scroll on a smartphone.

How often are children really using technology?

CHILDWISE estimates that between September and November of 2020, children between 7 and 16 spent an average of 3 hours and 48 minutes online each day. The time increased as they got older, with 7-8-year-olds reporting they spent an average of 2 hours 54 minutes online. In contrast, the 15-16-year-olds spent 4 hours and 54 minutes. Living in a global community of digital citizens that is more connected and younger than ever before, means the time spent online only going one way. 

But is this community always spending their time using technology to make the world a better place for themselves and others? Is everyone a ‘good’ digital citizen? Of course, we know the answer is, unfortunately, no.

To name a few of the challenges, we’ve all seen the impact of fake news, hacking, and cyberbullying. For example, almost 80% of consumers in the US reported having seen fake news on the coronavirus outbreak, 80% of reported fraud in the UK is cyber-enabled. In addition, a survey of more than 6000 10-18-year-olds from June to August last year found that about 50% of children had experienced at least one kind of cyberbullying in their lifetime. 

There is a huge need to teach students about digital citizenship.

Given this, there is a huge need to teach students about digital citizenship. But I think it’s vital to dive into what should be covered in this space and how. All too often, digital citizenship is another box to tick. Lesson on internet safety? Done. Or it focuses on the cons of being a digital citizen. But digital citizenship is so much more than that. The world is a digital place with huge potential, and our digital lives aren’t separate from our everyday life. That’s why at BSD Education, all of our curriculum is infused with learning opportunities in digital citizenship so that students see how it is a natural part of interacting online and in virtual communities instead of a solo practice. 

As well as integrating digital citizenship across students’ learning, we can also think about the content in three key areas: 

Using digital technologies positively for yourself

Topics include:  

  • Digital footprint
  • Data security 
  • Online safety
  • Vetting sources & citing information correctly 
  • Digital wellbeing
  • Building network and connections

Making a digital space safe for others

Topics include: 

  • Creating long-lasting, positive relationships online
  • Cyber-bullying 
  • Communicating online and engaging respectfully with others 
  • Safeguarding
  • Community guidelines
  • Safe-spaces agreements 

Using digital technologies to make positive change in the world 

Topics include: 

  • Digital literacy and digital skills  
  • Freedom of speech 
  • The power of virtual communities and online movements 
  • Open Source Software
  • Blockchain
  • Decentralized media
  • Censorship 

By focusing on using digital technologies positively, infusing the learning across topics and subject areas, and broadening the conversation beyond personal responsibility, we show our students the possibilities of operating in the digital space and being active digital citizens. ISTE summarizes it brilliantly – ‘Digital citizenship is about more than online safety. It’s about creating thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who can wrestle with the important ethical questions at the intersection of technology and humanity.’ So let’s think about any opportunities we have to excite our students about using digital technologies to bring about positive change for themselves, others, and broader society.

Four Things To Consider When Developing EdTech Curriculum

Posted on by Beth

Major world events frequently act as a trigger and catalyst to rapid innovation. As we experienced with Covid-19, schools and families have seen a surge in the adoption of different educa威而鋼 tional technologies. These include video conferencing tools, online learning platforms, and classroom management tools, etc. We’ve also increasingly seen innovative and effective teaching and learning activities created by educators for EdTech curriculum. 

Here at BSD Education, when we design our curriculum for our learning platform, we consider Student Engagement, Flexibility, Student Agency, and Simplicity when we design the content and activities across our content library.

Let’s explore each of these areas: 

Student engagement 

One of the most significant concerns with online learning is the level of student engagement. We know that when students are engaged, they are more likely to take away something from that time you spent together in class that day. To overcome issues of student engagement, just like designing any other products or services, we have our end-users in mind, and that’s our teachers and students. We ask ourselves, “What do they want to know about?”, “What can we share with them?” I firmly believe that engagement and enthusiasm are infectious in the classroom. If the teacher is engaged with the content and can connect and see the topic’s relevance on a broader scale beyond the classroom, students will be more likely to participate, lean in, and see how it connects to and impacts their lives. 

Flexibility

A flexible curriculum to allow for unexpected situations is another factor to be considered. Sometimes, classroom discussions may also lead to incredible learning opportunities. When we develop our curriculum at BSD, we allow room for teachers to design their lessons with our activities. We present bite-sized content to enable teachers to design their flow. The way they design their curriculum depends on the needs of their students. For example, in our TechFuture offering, resources for discussions, hands-on activities, and topical content are presented separately to allow our teachers to create a learning experience that suits them. In addition, education technologies and tools have allowed for more flexibility in course delivery.

Student agency

Closely linked with student engagement and flexibility in the curriculum is student agency. Through education technologies, we as educators can set up classroom activities to encourage student agency by offering pathways of exploration and learning new skills and topics. When designing the EdTech curriculum, we leverage the ease of information sharing capabilities and access to knowledge through learning systems. Our task as teachers is to become a facilitator of learning and exploration to create room for student choice and ownership in their learning journeys.

Simplicity

Curriculum resources should never be overly complicated. We set straightforward learning goals to help our teachers achieve their objectives regardless of topic, project, and activity as they develop the curriculum. Simplicity brings ease of use (better user experience) for teachers to focus more on the students rather than figuring out the tech or the content.

We have discussed some technical factors to curriculum development, but there are many other factors in consideration. The diversity of your students’ needs should always come first when designing and implementing a curriculum. The best approach is to try it out! Utilize education technologies to support your curriculum little by little, and always know you can reach out to your community to discuss all the creative possibilities!

Curriculum Design: Three Practical Ideas to Implement Today

Posted on by Beth

As an educator, I have used several forms of curriculum design, from traditional textbooks, government-mandated curriculum. I have even used non-curricular approaches with un-schooling my children. However, educators can tell you, the way the curriculum is written is often used differently in classrooms. This is especially true for rigid and traditional curriculum. Educators need to craft their nuance into the curriculum and modify it to fit local needs. For example, while teaching middle school science in rural Texas, we used a science textbook that gave examples of rainforest ecosystems.

My students hadn’t seen a rainforest, but they knew the ecosystems in their backyards, farms, and ranches. So, naturally, I adapted and used examples that students could relate to instead of the textbook examples. This made the rainforest examples more relatable once we looked at them with our local ecosystems having been learned first.

At BSD Education, it is my role to oversee our curriculum development process and define a vision for our curriculum. After years of being a Learning Experience Designer, here are three practical ideas that you can use for developing a curriculum:

  1. Decide on a pedagogical foundation.
  2. Use learning standards or a learning framework.
  3. Design for flexible learning environments.

Decide on a pedagogical foundation

An often overlooked aspect of curriculum design is pedagogy. At BSD Education, we design our curriculum on three pillars of pedagogy: Constructionism, Project-Based Learning, and the Pedagogy of Play.

The pedagogical approach that you use will depend on the values that your curriculum is trying to convey. It includes the styles of learning that you want to immerse your students into, and the age of the students. Try exploring some different pedagogical approaches to see what might best suit your needs.

Use learning standards or a learning framework.

Every teaching subject will have a set of guidelines, frameworks, or standards that outline the actual learning material and objectives. For example, at BSD Education, we lean on the ISTE Standards for Students and the CSTA standards for computer science.

Pre-existing frameworks or sets of standards are vetted through a rigorous process, making them a great starting point. When adopted by governments, schools, and other education providers, it gives them greater credibility and reliability.

Design for flexible learning environments

In recent times we have learned just how important flexibility in the curriculum is, whether it’s teaching online, face-to-face, or in a blended environment. Designing the curriculum with this in mind allows for maximum flexibility that can benefit both students and teachers. At BSD Education, we create our curriculum and platform so that lesson delivery can happen virtually, face-to-face, or even self-paced.

Designing for this type of flexibility can be difficult, which is why we also include educator and student feedback as a part of our design process. Then, we take the feedback and explore ways to improve and make our curriculum more flexible and valuable while maintaining consistency to the standards and alignment to our pedagogical foundations.


Bonus: How to Design a Culturally Relevant Curriculum

For more on Constructionism, watch our BSD Learn webinar over on our YouTube channel today

Frequently Asked Questions about Professional Development at BSD Education

Posted on by Beth

At BSD Education, our Professional Development focuses on providing teachers with the confidence, skills, knowledge, and material needed to bring technology education into their classrooms. In this article, we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions by teachers worldwide.

How long does the Professional Development session last?

Every professional development session runs for three hours. By the end, teachers are prepared to bring technology and digital skills to their students. However, it’s not required for the three hours to be completed in one session, and the training can be split into two sessions of an hour and a half each.

When are BSD Professional Development sessions held?

While our sessions can be scheduled at any time, it is recommended to schedule your Professional Development sessions two to four weeks before your first class to allow enough time to explore the platform and run through the curriculum and activities for students. To schedule your BSD Professional Development sessions, please speak with your school’s BSD representative.

What are the topics covered in the BSD Professional Development? 

Our Professional Development focuses on three main areas:

a) Orientation to BSD Online – This is where teachers are shown the various features of our BSD Online platform. For example, teachers are trained to create a classroom, manage student progress, and view student work through the portfolio feature. 

b) Skill learning – Through our guided projects, we introduce teachers to coding languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and the basic syntax and functions of these three languages. 

c) Curriculum familiarization – Teachers are shown where they can find the courses they will teach in the classroom. In addition, teachers are shown how to use the lesson plans, slide decks, and project customization guides. Through this demonstration, they better understand which activities need to be assigned to their students. 


Does Professional Development need to be held in person, or can it be done virtually?

In most cases, the Professional Development will be conducted by a BSD instructor on Zoom. Training sessions are also recorded, and a copy is sent to all teachers attending to view after. 

However, if a BSD instructor is available in your location, we can arrange for the session to be held in person.

What do I need to have for a BSD Professional Development Session?

All teachers need to have a laptop or desktop computer with the latest version of Google Chrome installed. Teachers also need to have an active email account sent to their BSD representative two working days before the session. The email address is used to create an account on our online platform. 

I don’t have any coding or programming experience. Is this training for me? 

Whether you are entirely new to using technology and coding in the classroom or have prior experience, BSD’s Professional Development has been designed with a low threshold and a high ceiling. We begin by taking small steps into the coding world and sharing tools that empower you to make the BSD Online platform your own.

Do I receive a certificate after I have completed the BSD Professional Development? 

Yes! After completing the BSD Professional Development, all teachers are eligible to receive a certificate. Our team will send a PDF copy of the certificate to you by email to use professionally right away. 

Does BSD leave me with any material after the Professional Development training?

We will provide you with videos and practice exercises to reinforce all the coding concepts taught during the session. All teachers will also have access to our BSD Community, where they can find articles on using the different features of the BSD Online platform. 

How can I reach BSD if I have questions after the session?

Our world-class support team is always striving to provide the best support to all our teachers. You can contact them for any questions on our platform and curriculum. Here’s a link with all the details on how you can get them. 

You may also reach out to your BSD representative to schedule 2 free coaching sessions per year with a BSD instructor. 

What do I need to do after my Professional Development and before my first class with BSD?

Before your first class with BSD, you might be feeling excited and anxious in equal measure. You may hesitate and ask yourself, “Will it be easy to teach students using BSD?” The answer is YES!

Don’t worry; we’ve put together a handy checklist to help you get started.

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I hope that you found these answers helpful. If you have a question not covered in this blog post,  please reach out to BSD’s Professional Development Lead in Asia, Karan Vaswani, at kv@bsd.education for more information.