Why children should be taught coding not as a technical skill but as a new literacy—a way to express themselves and engage with the world. Today, schools are introducing STEM education and robotics to children in ever-lower grades. In Beyond Coding, Marina Umaschi Bers lays out a pedagogical roadmap for teaching code that encompasses the cultivation of character along with technical knowledge and skills. Presenting code as a universal language, she shows how children discover new ways of thinking, relating, and behaving through creative coding activities. Today’s children will undoubtedly have the technical knowledge to change the world. But cultivating strength of character, socioeconomic maturity, and a moral compass alongside that knowledge, says Bers, is crucial. Bers, a leading proponent of teaching computational thinking and coding as early as preschool and kindergarten, presents examples of children and teachers using the Scratch Jr. and Kibo robotics platforms to make explicit some of the positive values implicit in the process of learning computer science. If we are to do right by our children, our approach to coding must incorporate the elements of a moral education: the use of narrative to explore identity and values, the development of logical thinking to think critically and solve technical and ethical problems, and experiences in the community to enable personal relationships. Through learning the language of programming, says Bers, it is possible for diverse cultural and religious groups to find points of connection, put assumptions and stereotypes behind them, and work together toward a common goal.

Why children should be taught coding not as a technical skill but as a new literacy—a way to express themselves and engage with the world. Today, schools are introducing STEM education and robotics to children in ever-lower grades. In Beyond Coding, Marina Umaschi Bers lays out a pedagogical roadmap for teaching code that encompasses the cultivation of character along with technical knowledge and skills. Presenting code as a universal language, she shows how children discover new ways of thinking, relating, and behaving through creative coding activities. Today’s children will undoubtedly have the technical knowledge to change the world. But cultivating strength of character, socioeconomic maturity, and a moral compass alongside that knowledge, says Bers, is crucial. Bers, a leading proponent of teaching computational thinking and coding as early as preschool and kindergarten, presents examples of children and teachers using the Scratch Jr. and Kibo robotics platforms to make explicit some of the positive values implicit in the process of learning computer science. If we are to do right by our children, our approach to coding must incorporate the elements of a moral education: the use of narrative to explore identity and values, the development of logical thinking to think critically and solve technical and ethical problems, and experiences in the community to enable personal relationships. Through learning the language of programming, says Bers, it is possible for diverse cultural and religious groups to find points of connection, put assumptions and stereotypes behind them, and work together toward a common goal.

Accelerate your career and make an impact by launching and running a successful open source project. Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook Key Features Understand the method and rationale for launching an open source project Explore best practices and insights for running an open source project Leverage open source projects to advance your career Book Description Open source is ubiquitous in our society, with countless existing projects, and new ones emerging every day. It follows a "scratch-your-own-itch" model where contributors and maintainers drive the project forward. Through Open Source Projects - Beyond Code, you'll learn what it takes to develop a successful, scalable, and sustainable open source project. In this book, you'll explore the full life cycle of open source projects, from inception, through launch, to maturity, and then discover how to sunset an open source project responsibly. Along the way, you'll learn the concepts of licensing, governance, community building, ecosystem management, and growing maintainers and contributors, as well as understand how other open source projects have been successful or might have struggled in some areas. You can use this book as an end-to-end guide or reference material for the future. By the end of this book, you'll be able to accelerate your career in open source. Your newly acquired skills will help you stay ahead of the curve even with the ever-evolving nature of technology. What you will learn Explore what is open source and how you can use it to accelerate your career Start an open source project while exploring its key considerations Grow, support, and manage a vast community of developers and users Build and maintain a mature and sustainable project Enable mass users and developers to downstream productization and outreach Use open source as a portfolio to build your career Understand when to end a project and conduct it responsibly Who this book is for This book is for software developers, product managers, project managers, business leaders, or general enthusiasts looking to start an open source project or currently maintaining one.

How the theoretical tools of literacy help us understand programming in its historical, social and conceptual contexts. The message from educators, the tech community, and even politicians is clear: everyone should learn to code. To emphasize the universality and importance of computer programming, promoters of coding for everyone often invoke the concept of “literacy,” drawing parallels between reading and writing code and reading and writing text. In this book, Annette Vee examines the coding-as-literacy analogy and argues that it can be an apt rhetorical frame. The theoretical tools of literacy help us understand programming beyond a technical level, and in its historical, social, and conceptual contexts. Viewing programming from the perspective of literacy and literacy from the perspective of programming, she argues, shifts our understandings of both. Computer programming becomes part of an array of communication skills important in everyday life, and literacy, augmented by programming, becomes more capacious. Vee examines the ways that programming is linked with literacy in coding literacy campaigns, considering the ideologies that accompany this coupling, and she looks at how both writing and programming encode and distribute information. She explores historical parallels between writing and programming, using the evolution of mass textual literacy to shed light on the trajectory of code from military and government infrastructure to large-scale businesses to personal use. Writing and coding were institutionalized, domesticated, and then established as a basis for literacy. Just as societies demonstrated a “literate mentality” regardless of the literate status of individuals, Vee argues, a “computational mentality” is now emerging even though coding is still a specialized skill.

Finally, a book on creative programming, written directly for artists and designers! Rather than following a computer science curriculum, this book is aimed at creatives who are working in the intersection of design, art, and education. In this book you'll learn to apply computation into the creative process by following a four-step process, and through this, land in the cross section of coding and art, with a focus on practical examples and relevant work structures. You'll follow a real-world use case of computation art and see how it relates back to the four key pillars, and addresses potential pitfalls and challenges in the creative process. All code examples are presented in a fully integrated Processing example library, making it easy for readers to get started. This unique and finely balanced approach between skill acquisition and the creative process and development makes Coding Art a functional reference book for both creative programming and the creative process for professors and students alike. What You’ll Learn Review ideas and approaches from creative programming to different professional domains Work with computational tools like the Processing language Understand the skills needed to move from static elements to animation to interaction Use interactivity as input to bring creative concepts closer to refinement and depth Simplify and extend the design of aesthetics, rhythms, and smoothness with data structures Leverage the diversity of art code on other platforms like the web or mobile applications Understand the end-to-end process of computation art through real world use cases Study best practices, common pitfalls, and challenges of the creative process Who This Book Is For Those looking to see what computation and data can do for their creative expression; learners who want to integrate computation and data into their practices in different perspectives; and those who already know how to program, seeking creativity and inspiration in the context of computation and data.

Welcome to a journey into the intricate world of aesthetic multilingualism. This monography delves deep into the realms where diverse linguistic and artistic codes converge to shape the very essence of aesthetic experience. From the authorial motivations to the composition, narrative framework, functional aspects, and multimodal manifestations, it unravels the complexities of code-switching as a powerful aesthetic device. Drawing from a rich tapestry of literary and artistic works, it explores how code-switching transcends linguistic boundaries to create captivating narratives and immersive artistic experiences. The outlined multidimensional approach goes beyond mere linguistic analysis, delving into the intricate interplay of semiotic resources, cultural contexts, and narrative strategies. Through meticulous examination and insightful case studies, it sheds light on the multifaceted nature of aesthetic code-switching, revealing its profound impact on artistic expression and communication. As you embark on this journey, this monography invites you to explore the diverse landscapes of aesthetic multilingualism, where words, sounds, and visuals converge to create art that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries and captivates the imagination.

Software developers aren't so much misunderstood as under-understood. We're more than coders, the smelly nerds in dark corners from the movies. We're certainly not acolytes tending to the black magic churning behind computer screens, keepers of secrets too difficult for "ordinary" people.We're a different breed, sure, but our lives are neither isolated nor mysterious. All you need is a guide, and that's why I wrote Thinking Beyond Coding. In this book we'll learn what the development career is all about as we compress my 11-year career into 93 pages.This book isn't about coding puzzles and tricky algorithms. This is a book about developers, but for anyone. We'll explore how we our careers start, what makes us tick, and what drives us crazy. It's for anyone interested in software development...or software developers.So if you want to learn about software development, this book will show you the ins and outs. If you're sick of coding books, this book will be a refreshing change. Or if you just need help relating to the developers in your life, this book will help you learn why we look so different.Want more? Check out my blog: www.findingaplacebooks.com/thinking-beyond-coding.

A unique examination of the software development process, arguing that it must undergo a fundamental re-examination of its guiding principles in order for significant progress to take place.