Catering + Interior Design + Marketing + Computer Science

Real-world learning? Cross-curricular collaboration? At this high school, the answer is a resounding, "YES!"

I was recently talking with my brother about a project his computer science class is working on. It all started with a catering class, when they were given this assignment:
Participating teams will demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant and food service industry by developing a written proposal for potential investors in a new restaurant concept.The written proposal will consist of a defined restaurant concept, supporting menu, and supporting marketing plan."

As a part of this assignment, they added in team members from other classes...
Students in an interior design class became "contractors" helping them design the restaurant.
Students in a marketing class are developing business cards, brochures, and a marketing plan.
Students in his computer science class are tasked with building an app for the restaurant.

Four classes. That's a lot of coordination. But think about what the students are learning!

They are seeing a project through from start to finish, with many different phases.
They are collaborating and working together.
They are practicing entrepreneurship skills.
The computer science students are learning to work with a "client" and design for what somebody else wants (which may or may not be clearly communicated at the outset - very realistic!).
They are putting their unique skills to use to help others.
They are learning to work with people with different strengths.
They are learning that they are just one part of a larger puzzle that makes the world go 'round.
They are breaking down the artificial walls between different subjects and connecting the dots to work toward a larger goal.

I am so inspired about this project and thinking about how it breaks the mold of "playing the school game" and really prepares them for life after graduation. I hope more teachers are encouraged to design learning opportunities like this in the future!

Coding Fun!

Over spring break, I discovered a new educational website which totally has me hooked, and I wanted to share!

// Disclaimer: I am a total nerd!

codingbat.com

The backstory: 

I have an incredibly talented brother & sister who have been working on developing apps for both Apple & Android products. When I am at home with them, I always see them working and am intrigued, but my music education degree didn't exactly teach me enough to follow along with what they are doing. Naturally...I asked them if I could start to learn some coding basics (did I mention that my brother also teaches high school computer science?)!

I've worked on some high-level pseudo-coding with them in that past (basically figuring out the logic) and done some block-based coding, but what I really didn't have is any background writing actual code in text. I've been through some different tutorials, but they are so spoon-fed, I get frustrated with them and forget everything I've learned after a week.

In short, I wanted something that would:

1) Actually get me writing code, and

2) Gave me a bit of a challenge, so I could LEARN and not just regurgitate the information.

After talking with my brother, we decided it would be easier for me to learn just one language at first, and since I have an Android phone and a PC, it seemed logical for me to learn Java (Android) rather than Swift (iOS).

Enter codingbat.com!

Here's what I love:

1. This site doesn't look fancy, but it has both challenges and help articles/videos right there.

2. After you write some code and submit, it runs a series of tests, and tells you which ones pass/fail. This is very helpful for tracking down your errors!

3. For the most part, this site doesn't give you the answers! Some example problems provide answers, and sometimes hints are provided, but mostly, you have to figure it out yourself.

4. The challenges go in a logical order, so you are not asked to do ten new things at once, but they throw in new twists each time, so you are not just repeating the same thing over and over.

5. You can create an account to save your progress, and even link it to a teacher's account (or a brother's account...just saying...) so that they can see your progress as well.

6. This site is built for both Java & Python. I am learning Java, but you could use it for Python as well.

7. It's working! I'm getting more comfortable with writing with proper syntax, I'm completing some challenges, and I'm getting stuck and researching to work through my issues. All of this means I am learning!

App development, here I come...

//Just kidding. I'm just getting started. But it's a step in the right direction!

Are any of you interested in learning Java?
How do these types of learning opportunities impact our students?
How might we make use of them to model our own learning or to challenge our students?