“That’s our aim. To ensure every student has the foundational skills, specifically computational thinking skills, they need for success.”
Portland, Oregon (PRWEB) April 21, 2016
According to the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University, by 2018, 51 percent of all STEM jobs are projected to be in computer science-related fields, making the need for coding instruction at the K-12 level critical. To support school districts across the country as they strive to ensure students build the digital literacy skills essential for college and career success, Learning.com announced today an update to its popular EasyTech solution with a powerful new unit designed to build the foundations of coding – computational thinking.
Computational thinking, defined as a pathway to problem solving and easily transferable to other academic subjects and even everyday life, lays the groundwork for the updated EasyTech curriculum. Scheduled for release in time for the 2016-2017 school year, the revised curriculum is in step with President Obama’s bold new initiative, Computer Science for All, which empowers K-12 students to learn computer science and develop the computational skills necessary to spur the transition from consumer to creator in today’s digital economy. The update is also reflective of the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) plans to revise its Standards for Students to incorporate computational thinking.
Keith Oelrich, Learning.com CEO, said that by including foundations of coding lessons, EasyTech offers districts a complete solution for teaching students the digital literacy skills they need today, while preparing them with the computational thinking skills needed for coding.
“Coding classes are springing up throughout the nation's schools and the challenge is there are very few foundational courses that teach students, especially the youngest students, the skills they need to be successful in coding,” said Oelrich. “That’s our aim. To ensure every student has the foundational skills, specifically computational thinking skills, they need for success.”
EasyTech is a self‐paced digital literacy curriculum for grades K‐8 that provides interactive lessons, journals, and quizzes to help students develop the digital literacy skills they need to succeed in school and confidently take online assessments. It equips students with critical skills including keyboarding, word processing, digital citizenship and online safety, as well as media and information literacy skills. EasyTech can be used in a computer lab, 1:1, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) or classroom setting. Each of the 14 units include lessons, activities, games, journals, discussions and quizzes that teach students to apply technology skills to their core subject area learning.
About Learning.com
Founded in 1999, Learning.com currently partners with one in six school districts and serves five million students. Learning.com provides K-12 solutions to help students, teachers, and schools excel in a digital world. Districts equip their students with the technology and 21st century skills needed for success on online assessments, college, and the workforce using Learning.com’s digital literacy solutions. Learning.com’s digital content tools help districts build and share custom digital curriculum helping them meet their instructional goals, facilitate personalized learning, and address budget challenges. Through implementation services and professional development, Learning.com serves educators as they integrate technology and digital content into instruction.
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