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Huron Expositor, 2015-05-13, Page 2020 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, May 13, 2015 7Ve aire eei9 / On May 31st, after nearly 21 years, we are retiring as owners and operators of Seaforth Foodland. Since October of 1994 we have had the great pleasure of serving Seaforth and the surrounding area and we sincerely appreciate the support we have received. We are fortunate to have worked with a wonderful staff and we are grateful for the loyalty and effort they gave us. We introduce MJ and Kevin Baer, as the new owners of Seaforth Foodland and welcome them to the community. We are confident they will receive the warm support that we have enjoyed and wish them well. We have met many wonderful people over the years and will miss them. Se#twte4, stew & 'a'6 e€ducw rCODLAND Catholic school board hosts coding session for area students Students incorporate math into workshop Galen Simmons Postmedia Network Since technology such as tablets and laptops are becoming more common- place in the classroom, mem- bers of the Huron -Perth Cath- olic District School Board (HPCDSB) are constantly looking for ways to further enhance both the usage of that technology as well as stu- dents' understanding of it. On May 7, Dr. George Gada- nidis, a professor of mathemat- ics education at Western Uni- versity, visited the HPCDSB office in Dublin to spend a full day with students in Grades 6, 7 and 8 from schools through- out the district to teach them a bit of computer coding, while simultaneously teaching them a few complicated mathemati- cal concepts usually reserved for the Grade 12 curriculum. "What we're doing is we're introducing kids to two things - cool mathematics ideas and also computer coding as well, the two go hand-in-hand," Gadanidis explained. "What the coding does is allows them to play with these ideas interactively, so they can cre- ate their own little programs. From a teaching point of view, it's another way to rep- resent these ideas, so you can represent them with code!' Besides being able to teach students more complicated mathematics through visu- ally practical lines of code on a computer screen, Gadan- idis says students are learn- ing a skill that has become in huge demand over the past decade, a skill that students will be able to use and build off of for the rest of their lives. "(Coding) is everywhere around us, it's in all the apps you use. It's like having a car and never knowing how it works underneath," he said. "What we are trying to do is we all use technology, but very few of us can edit it and very few of us can create it. So we're giving kids hands-on experiences in how to create their own technology so they can build apps themselves." The day -long coding event has been run for students of all ages, the youngest of which were in Grade 1. In a few cases, Gadanidis added, some of the Grade 6, 7 and 8 students who competitions in each of their had previously taken the cod- individual schools. At these ing course have actuallytaught coding competitions or their younger peers. events, students are required The coding workshop in to teach their parents and Dublin last week began with guests some coding to receive Gadanidis teaching students the $200 grant for their school. how to use a program called The underlying idea to using Scratch, a kid -friendly app that coding to teach math is to get allows students to design students excited about what blocks of code that move a car- they're leaming and have them toon cat around their screen. not only be able to use their "It's nice for young kids new-found skills both inside because they don't have to and out of the classroom, but type code. You don't need to also to teach these skills to fel- worry about spelling mis- low students and their slightly takes, you don't need syntax, less tech-savvyparents. right?" he said. "The group that's here Next, the students learned today are students who are some text -based coding identified as bright or gifted through a program called and they need unique oppor- Python. While Scratch allows tunities to be together, but students to get a very basic also to be challenged in a new grasp on coding, it has its way. The coding project pro - limitations, whereas learn- vides that opportunity," ing Python gives students explained Vince MacDonald, more freedom to design the director of education for what they want. HPCDSB. "They are engaged At the end of the day, in learning a programming Gadinidis will use the knowl- language and they use that for edge of coding just learned by creating animations, for creat - students to teachthemsophis- ing GIF files, or whatever. ticated mathematical concepts Research shows students who such as the binomial theorem. are bright and gifted need the "If you take a coin and you opportunity to get together flip it, it's head or tails, flip it with like-minded children:' again and it's heads or tails. So Leela Pereira, a Grade 8 flip two in a row you can get student from St. Columban two heads, two tails, or a head School, said she enj oyed and a tails. So if you count how playing around with Scratch manyofthoseyougetafteryou and Python and she plans to do it lots of times, you find that continue coding at home the heads and tails come up and in school. more often then the two heads "It was really fun because I or two tails. So why is that? We was expecting a lot more math explore that question through and I'm not averybig math stu- a model on the computer, and dent - I just don't like it very we've done that in Grade 1 much -but ittumedoutitwas classrooms by doing that on actuallyreallyfun;' Pereira said. cards. This eventually leads to Myles Novotny, a Grade 6 whatyoulearned in Grade 12, student from St. Mary's which is the binomial theo- School in Listowel said he rem;' Gadinidis explained. had previously used Scratch Gadanidis has spent many on the iPads at school, but he years conducting field research enjoyed meeting new friends in conjunction with teachers in and learning a few new tricks classrooms both in Ontario and at the coding workshop. in Brazil. He's been hosting "I thought it was really great - these coding events for stu- tinkering, that's me. You got to dents from different school do your own thing and leam a boards in Ontario for the past lot. You also got to make a lot of several years, and this fall he new friends, actually;' Novotny will be unveiling a coding cur- said. "It was really great because riculum book for teachers and my dad works for Wightman parents to implement in the (Telecom) and he uses code a classroom and at home. lot and I think he'll be really For students who attend impressed when he figures out these coding workshops, thatlknowhowtodothis" Gadinidis says there is as Both Novotny and Pereira much as $200 per school in said the workshop was a lot of funding available from the fun, and because of that, nei- Fields Institute in Toronto, a ther of them fullyreali7ed they mathematics think-tank, to were learning practical math - allow students and teachers to ematics, some of which is way organize coding clubs and above their grade in school.