Third and last day of ACEC 2014 started with
a keynote from Sally-Ann, @sallyannw and Alan Noble, @scruzin about CS
learning.
Only 2% of Australia’s domestic graduate’s
numbers are in CS (computer science). While there is a 6.9 increase in
employment in this field from 2006 to 2010, everything is moving faster and
it’s starting to be a concern that there will be more jobs in the computer
sciences department than people qualified to fill it.
After watching a video ‘Coding is the NewLiteracy’, Sally-Ann spoke about how the language of the future is coding, and
as software touches all different things it’s important to know how it works.
It’s being said that coding is as important as reading and writing the question
is, will it ever surpass that?
Sally-Ann then went on to explain how CS + X
is not just for programmers, the ‘CS’ standing for computer science of course
and the X can be anything you want, i.e. science, math, etc. She then explains
that computational thinking isn’t just about producing programmers but it’s
about 21st century thinking. Computational thinking is a set of
skills of softwares engineers use which also apply to human endeavours.
I really enjoyed this presentation and
followed it up with the conversations with Sally-Ann. During the conversations we spoke about the
20% time at Google and how it could be incorporated in schools. At Wirreanda we
had genius hour which was based off of 20% time where for an hour a week we got
to work on whatever project we liked for at the end to present it to the class.
However we spoke specifically about what it is at Google that makes 20% time
work so well and Sally-Ann’s answer was that there are set guidelines which she
believes makes it more successful. Also that they pick a topic and find a
solution to make a difference and do something amazing that makes an impact.
Overall Sally-Ann made a big impact on myself
and other students. I loved her persona, she was really lovely and it was a
comfortable feeling talking to her.
The rest of the day was prepping for the
panel after lunch. I think the panel went fairly well and I must say Jordin did
absolutely amazing! Although she said she was nervous, you wouldn’t have
guessed it, she seemed so comfortable on stage and spoke really well even when
she was answering off the top of her head.
In closing of ACEC 2014 it was an amazing
experience and I’m glad to have had the opportunity. My two highlights of the
experience would have to be listening and talking to Alec Couros as well as
Sally-Ann. They were both so lovely, presented well and had a very interesting
point of view.
To read up on the Twitter feed or other blog
posts go to:
Student twitter: @ACECDLs
Hashtag: #ACEC2014
My other posts on the conference:
1 Shining Remix 2 3
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