No Code

Is coding for all really what should be emphasized in K12? The rationale for exposing all students to actual coding (to be differentiated from an alternative approach at a later point) argues that this exposure can a) interest learners in careers with many opportunities. b) develop higher-level cognitive skills now often described as computational thinking, and c) provide insights into technology at a more general level allowing learners with this background to have a better understanding of a wide variety of topics from privacy to algorithms associated with social media services.

When I discuss this topic, I take what might see as a conservative approach. My own coding skills were very important in my professional life and I certainly want to see programming classes available in secondary education and possibly as an option within the math or science areas. What I question is the enthusiasm for short coding experiences beginning in elementary school that are provided at the expense of other important content areas. I also am skeptical about the transfer value of coding expertise as is argued by those who describe the benefits of computational thinking. At one point in my career, I was quite interested in LOGO programming experiences through upper elementary and middle school and followed the research related to such experiences quite carefully. I just didn’t see researchers demonstrating the value in the development of higher-order thinking skills some keep describing.

I thought this article describing the “no code” generation offers useful insights. There article does indicate that the interest in coding at the secondary level has improved quite dramatically.

Advanced Placement tests for computer science have grown from around 20,000 in 2010 to more than 70,000 this year according to the College Board, which administers the high school proficiency exams

However, the article points to an area of advancement that does not depend on the writing of line after line of programming. Advances in technology services allow the performance of an increasing range of complex applications through “no code” methods for organizing and sequences blocks that accomplish specific tasks. Higher-level skills important in programing – planning, sequencing, etc. are still important. The article points to products such as Minecraft and Roblox as examples. The block-based coding environments used by younger students (e.g., Scratch) would seem to take a similar approach. For old timers like me who might remember, Hypercard offered a powerful object-oriented approach that allowed the combination of preprogrammed objects with the opportunity to write original scripts associated with objects.

I blog using a service called WordPress. This service has moved to a block-based approach that allows users to create complicated web pages without writing code in PHP or javascript. A few blocks available are shown in the image below (Gutenberg Blocks).

My point – the “no code” options that are available and will likely emerge in the future may be the type of environment in which most professional users of technology will actually work. Rather than assuming coding for all should progress from block-based experiences to writing line after line of code, perhaps the emphasis should be on moving most students to no code options that apply to projects that could be implemented in projects that are part of other subject areas.