What happens when making software is fundamentally shifted, away from interpreted computer languages, to a tactile and visual programming medium? Building on some of the groundbreaking thinking by theorists like Bret Victor in his seminal demo “Stop Drawing Dead Fish,” Ready is the product of two years of deep R&D with students and schools in the USA and Canada, rethinking how software is made from the inside out.
This session presents findings from schools and camps using the Ready system (getready.io), in particular, how motivation to learn coding changes when the emphasis of memorizing syntax as pre-condition for creativity shifts towards an emphasis to understanding systems theory and logical constructs. What does software as a form of “self-expression” look like? How can software, rooted in the grammar of games, be constructed to tell stories that reflect the unique perspective and experience of the child? How can educators, who often lack direct computer science education, be empowered to confidently teach the architecture of software? How are students from dramatically different socioeconomic backgrounds expressing themselves in this medium?
Findings from the Ready pilot programs in privileged independent schools and camps, low-income public schools, and charter schools focused on neurologically challenged students, provide a fascinating view of the “democratization of software creation,” with deep implications for making “code to learn, learn to code” relevant across diverse communities and experiences. Join us for a an exploration of the new frontier of creation.
