Tech Industry Earns Some Cred – National Geographic Education Blog

TECHNOLOGY

A leader in the small but growing industry of “coder boot camps” announced plans to develop a new set of credentials aimed at certifying the skills these programs teach. (NPR)

Use our resources to learn more about coding and why it’s so important to education.

Teachers: Scroll all the way down for a short list of key resources in our “Teachers’ Toolkit.”

Discussion Ideas

• The NPR article is about new “microcredentials” for coding. What are microcredentials, and how are they different from earlier coding credentials?
  • A microcredential is test-based. A traditional credential may include practical experience, academic education (such as a degree), or a series of training courses.
  • Earlier credential programs were associated with proprietary software programs. Microsoft, for instance, may have issued a credential in Excel, its proprietary spreadsheet program. But according to the NPR article, “today’s mobile apps and websites rely largely on more open programming languages like Java and Ruby.”

• You don’t need to go to boot camp to get started!

• Already have some basic coding knowledge? Have you entered the Verizon Innovative App Challenge? Why not? The Verizon Innovative App Challenge “provides the opportunity for middle school and high school students, working with a faculty advisor (licensed teacher), to use their STEM knowledge, their ingenuity, and their creativity to come up with an original mobile app concept that incorporates STEM and addresses a need or problem in their school or community.” Learn more about the challenge here.

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

NPR: A New Credential For The Tech Industry

NG Education: Coded for Success

NG Education blog: Reading, Writing, and Code

NG glossary:

Code.org: Tutorials

Verizon Innovative App Challenge