Coding for Everyone

Today's song is: not a song, but Donald Duck applying Mathematics to my favorite game .. billiards

Today's post could be a long one. As many of you know, I have been involved with computers and education since 1979. I retired as the Coordinator of Learning Technologies and Information Technologies for the Ottawa Catholic School Board. I had been involved with Educating teachers on using Computers in the Classroom at the University level and was a frequent presenter at ECOO for many years. Throughout all these roles I have always been a proponent of teaching students to program. I consider programming (coding seems to be in in vogue term these days) to be the ultimate problem solving environment as it (usually, but not always) provides immediate feedback to the problem solver.

Through the years, I have championed Logo (Piaget and Papert), Scratch (MIT developed visual programming paradigm), and Lego Mindstorms (Robotics and Programming). All of these environments enable students to work from concrete to abstract as they solve problems. They all have a visual component, whether it is a turtle on the screen, visual objects representing code constructs, or a physical object responding to code commands.

Students have always embraced these coding environments but I wish I could say the same for teachers!

Obama, The UK, and 3 Canadian provinces (BC,NB,NS) have all announced that coding should and will be taught at all grade levels form 1-12.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/01/18/bc-grade-school-students-to-get-computer-coding-training-in-new-curriculum.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/24/world/europe/adding-coding-to-the-curriculum.html?_r=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XvmhE1J9PY

Before this can happen there is a huge training component that needs to happen. Good luck with that!  I can't remember how many times I have heard a teacher tell me 'I don't do Math'. Many an elementary teacher is challenged to answer, 'What are the 3 measures of central tendency?'.

And, just wait until the various High School subject areas start arguing where these coding courses or components should be taught. Tech, Mathematics, Business, or perhaps a new department, or better yet, blended into existing courses where it s everyone's job and you know what happens that is made the model for implementation. Can you remember 'Language Across the Curriculum'?

Oh yes, we teach all students the rudiments of writing and then teach Literature in the hopes of inspiring the next great poet or writer. But how many students actually take up pen and paper (sorry, tablet and word processor) and actually author anything. I would guesstimate way less than 1% of all students.

Why would we expect anything different with coding. We could teach all the rudiments of coding, but then, how many students will be able to actually use code to create something of use to someone with a problem to solve. That remains to be seen. I would argue that programming is a highly abstract reasoning activity that requires a certain IQ or an unique ability to think in the abstract. The closest real life activity I liken it to is the game of chess. If you are a good chess player than most likely you will be a good programmer.  How many good chess players are there, and how many people does the game of chess appeal to?  If you do not like thinking in terms of chess moves then you will not enjoy programming.

Anyone who thinks that everyone can code should consider whether or not everyone can do Calculus.

I don't mean to be cynical but I have watched this play out before. I truly believe if there is a place in the curriculum for long division, or multiplying 4 digits times 4 digits then there is a place for Coding! If there is a place in the curriculum for Shakespeare then there is a place for Coding!

But, (I know, never start a sentence with But) whatever you do, make it highly motivating. Most coding algorithms can be taught by getting students involved in coding games. If the students want to blow things up on the screen, let them. Collision detection involves the application of some of the Mathematics we teach without application. Trigonometry is needed in any complex game involving moving objects in 2d or 3d space. The Cartesian Plane is just waiting to be exploited in coding class. Radians, degrees, transformations, and matrix math can all be taught in coding game applications rather than Math theory.

However, if teachers do not embrace the need to teach coding (thinking) skills then this initiative will not succeed. Build it into your curricula, but standardize on open source software that runs on all platforms to make it inexpensive to implement. Put the money into teacher training and use the KISS principle, but understand, not all teachers will be good at this. Time to team teach in the elementary grades. I take your phys'ed class, you take my coding class :-)

Make coding the 3rd literacy right up there with Math and English literacy.

TTYL

Pics

Today's songs are: Lyin Eyes and Hotel California by the Eagles (RIP)

Here are some pics.  The first 2 are pics of Thavorn's nephew picking a rat to be skinned for tonight's supper and the next pics are from our visit to Pattaya.

Pattaya

Today's song is: It's a Beautiful Day by U2

Thavorn has ruled out Pattaya as our next place of Residence. The reason is it is just too busy. I must admit she is correct. It appears all the lo-so punters have moved from Bangkok to Pattaya as it is cheaper. Happy hour beer is 60 Baht not 80 Baht as it is in Bangkok. Not sure about bar girl rates but I suspect they are cheaper as well.

Despite the drop in the ruble, Pattaya is still full of Russians and there are even 3 Russian TV stations on in our hotel. Even if I did not recognize Russian when I hear it, I could still spot the village people as they have a distinct appearance (wife beater shirts, plaited hair, usually died blonde). Lots of Putin look-a-likes :-)

Worse still, are the hordes of Chinese tourists that disembark from their buses and follow their tour guide from spot to spot taking pictures but spending no money. I know it boosts their tourism numbers but I don't think it does much for the economy. Easily 50+ buses every night disgorging their passengers on Walking Street.

Our next options are probably Hua Hin (the summer residence of the Royal Family) or Cha-Am, just 20 minutes down the road from Hua Hin. Both are about 2 hours by bus from Bangkok and are on the coast.

Cha-am is a little more Thai than Hua Hin (less farang influence) but they are close enough you can hop between the two quite easily. Not sure about the night life in Cha-Am, but Hua Hin has some, but no where the quantity that Pattaya (Sin City) or Bangkok (City of Angels) have. However, both are cheaper for living, on the coast, and way less pollution.

TTYL

A Typical Day

Today's song is: Hockey Night Tonight .. by Stompin Tom

I thought I would describe today to you .. it was pretty typical.

I got out of bed about 7 am when Jaidan started stirring in his crib. I changed his diaper and made him a juice, leaving Thavorn to sleep peacefully for a while. Jaidan and I went into the living area and I put the kettle on for coffee and turned on CNN for the latest news. I also put one slice of bread into the toaster to eat with peanut butter. After my coffee and toast I cut up some melon (orange and green) and heated up a chicken leg, in the microwave for Jaidan, that I had picked up a night ago.

After about an hour, Thavorn woke up and she cuddled with Jaidan and I made her a coffee. About an hour later, Thavorn's phone rang, and her ex boss was coming over with some Life insurance papers that she is trying to sell us. I am not adverse to buying life insurance for Thavorn but I am waiting until the Canadian dollar goes back above 27 baht. That could be a while :-) After about 90 minutes we were once again alone and w decided we had to head out to Big C as Jaidan needed some diapers and formula.

After about another hour we were ready to go and caught a taxi to Big C. We no longer walk as Jaidan is simply too heavy (about 18 kilos) and it is just not fun for me. We were in and out of Big C in about 60 mins and headed back home by taxi as Jaidan was in a grouchy mood, probably because of his cold and cough. He is very congested.

Once home again, Jaidan went for a nap and I decided to learn some more about Linux. There is a big push in the US to teach programming and server management and Linux is free so it is gaining in popularity. I had been using Linux Mint but found I did not like it and decided to download Lubuntu (15.10) which is a light and fast version of Ubuntu, one of the leading distros. I installed it into a vmWare and then added Lazarus, a Pascal programming IDE I like, as well as Nginx, a web server that is rapidly gaining market share that I wished to learn. This was all 2 steps forward and one step back and I finally had everything working by 8pm. Just a day in the life of a techie.

However because it is a vmWare image I can now push it up to Amazon's EC2 Cloud servers and use it there as I plan to migrate from Windows 2008 servers to Linux servers, one server at a time as they are much cheaper to operate as I do not have to pay Microsoft for the OS.

Here is a recent quote on Linux:

Linux Is Everywhere. Now There’s A Plan to Make It for Everyone.

Linux is everywhere these days. It runs our phones, the web servers that underpin everything from Facebook to Google, even our cars. That means there’s a bigger demand for people who know how to work with the operating system than ever before, and those jobs often pay good money.

The Linux Foundation is a non-profit that not only helps maintain and develop core parts of the Linux operating system but also provides education and certification to information professionals who manage Linux servers. Today the organization announced The Extended Learning Linux Foundation Scholarship Program, an educational initiative aimed at helping people from disadvantaged backgrounds gain the skills they need to start careers in information technology.

Most importantly, the first course, Intro to Linux, assumes little to no computer literacy.
Eventually the Linux Foundation hopes to expand its scholarship program throughout the world, but it will start in Austin, Texas, through a partnership with job training and placement organization Goodwill Central Texas. The scholarships will be available to students at Goodwill Excel Center, a public charter school in Austin for adults seeking to complete their high school diplomas, and the Goodwill Career and Technical Academy.

Under the scholarship program, the Linux Foundation will offer eligible Goodwill students access to the organization’s Intro to Linux and Essentials of System Administration courses, as well as allow students to take its Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator exam, all free—just like the operating system itself.

I know that a lot of what I talked about is Greek to most of you  .. but my techie friends will enjoy today's post.

TTYL

The Global Economy

Today's song is: a Newfie song we all know and a Saturday Night in Sudbury by Stompin Tom

The Canadian dollar fell below 25 Baht today. That has quite an impact on planning for me. For example, I was considering buying a plot of land for 300,000 baht and/or a motorcycle for 177,000 baht. The exchange rate makes a huge difference for me as my income ($5,000 CDN/month) is in Canadian dollars. Historically, the loonie fluctuates between buying 30 to 25 baht, and usually hovers at the high end, but today is below 25 baht. The impact on my purchase would be:

The land at today's rate will cost me $2,000 more and the motorcycle would be $1,180 more. I will obviously put off these purchases until the Canadian dollar appreciates or the Thai baht depreciates. Unfortunately, rent is fixed until the end of April when moving to the village to live rent free for a while is looking more appealing. Food is relatively inexpensive in Thailand so the price of food is not really an issue.

Those of you who live in Canada will soon experience the effects of the falling loonie. At this moment, the consumer goods you are buying were in the supply chain while the loonie was worth more. Most of what you purchase is made in the US, Japan, South Korea, or Taiwan. Outside of Canada's short growing season, most of the produce you consume comes from the US whose currency is worth much, much more.  Snow birds are already feeling the pinch as they are already south of the border.

The Canadian electorate fell in love with a charismatic ex teacher who has been globe trotting in his first two months (much like his papa did) while the loonie has been tanking. It is time for Justin to tend to things at home and take Canada from a nation of 'hewers of wood and drawers of water' and increase its capacity in the knowledge economy and encourage our brightest minds to stay home and innovate in Canada. 

https://www.cardus.ca/policy/archives/3771/

is a great read and talks about Canada's aging infrastructure which is in need or replacing. The construction jobs created will help to bring Canada out of the recession it appears to be falling into. The only question is who will pay .. and the answer is always .. you the tax payer  .. or perhaps Justin will follow in his papa's footsteps and simply borrow from future generation .. your children, and their children.

BTW, how are your investments doing today?

I am not an economist but I think Canadians are going to have a hard time adjusting to competing with Thais, Cambodians, and Vietnamese who are willing to work 12 hours a day for $10. The Chinese are beginning to understand that as well, as factories start to move to where labour is cheaper. Canada needs to find its niche in the world economy and exploit that niche.

We do live in interesting times :-)

TTYL

Summer Camp

Today's song is: I Would Walk 500 Miles .. by the Proclaimers.

I do not know why but my mind strayed back to the summers when my 2 children, Jaime and Jordan were younger and attended Olympia Sports camp in Huntsville Ontario. Jaime took to it like a duck to water and Jordan did not like it much at all. I think Jordan had a bad camp experience with his bunk mates who were predominantly black and cliquish.

During drop off and pickup the camp used to play their theme song above. Hence the memory.

Last night Thavorn, Jaidan and I had a great time at Country Road in Soi Cowboy. Jaidan is not so shy anymore and was charming the ladies and even dancing up a storm to the live band to everyone's amusement including my friend John from England. The sign outside says no cameras, drugs, or guns and no one under 20 years of age. They have always made an exception for Jaidan and the staff dotes on him :-)

Country Road in Soi Cowboy

I was looking at health insurance for both Jaidan and Thavorn and was quite surprised to find out that Jaidan was more expensive probably dues to higher child mortality rates in Thailand. Of course the salesperson had no concept of child mortality rates and was unable to explain why he was more expensive. She did however, know how to input the data into the app and obtain price quotes. Thai people are interesting to watch and talk to, but understanding their thought processes is difficult. They are not taught how to think in their school system which stresses rote memory of facts and obedience to Thai societal values.

TTYL

Downward Spiral ...

Today's Song is:  Do What You Want Lady Gaga ...

What is with the Canadian dollar falling in value to the Thai Baht .. losing about 16% over the past year. Now I know oil is down, but at least Canada has the 4th largest world supply. However, rubber and rice are down as is tourism since the coup, so surely you would think a country that has a well educated population, free health care, and an abundance of natural resources would be outperforming Thailand.

And, what's with the states, lots of job growth, but the jobs mostly suck because of part-time or low wages, with no benefits. Maybe it is because they spend more on self defense and armaments than the next 8 countries combined. That must be it .. Canada has start to produce more guns and ammo to drive the economy.

Ever since I left Canada the economy has been in the tank. These rates really affects how much fun I have :-). I am just happy I am not a snowbird living in the USA.

TTYL