I believe coding has many opportunities for learning outside of math related content. Coding is an interesting way to teach that language extends past English, French, Spanish etc. That being said even within coding there are different languages. This idea could also be related to the idea of music as a language to make the concept easier to grasp, as most students have had exposure to music. Coding and computational thinking can be seen through activities like robotics. I remember when I was in grade 5, we built Lego Mindstorms. Which are robots which you build and program to do certain tasks. In my certain activity we were instructed to code our robots to do things like, go straight for 5 seconds, then turn 90° to the right, then continue straight for 5 more seconds. This made us as students use a computational thinking method, breaking down how we needed to program robots. Coding has many educational purposes outside of math and should be explored!
Effective Features of Gaming!
One of the most effective features of using games for education, is the fact that they are fun. They distract from the fact you’re learning, if done well. That distraction from learning can increase attention span and productive worktime. On the flip side if to many games are used students may come to resent normal work and want everything to be a game. Games and technology are also exciting especially to younger students, this may grab students interest on topics they weren’t initially keen on. Games may also make topics easier to understand, as they often take a multimedia approach. Using visuals and sounds, quizzes, and check ins to make sure students are following along and understanding. Overall gaming can be super beneficial in the classroom and should be used as a tool.