2016年12月17日土曜日

January 2017 STEM Anchor Skills (1-8) - "Digital Literacy"

In my monthly STEM Anchor Skills Series, I give hints like the following on improving critical cognitive and technical skills for young adults. I will also respond to questions submitted. To join the newsletter and submit questions, please email me at jgabriella.played@gmail.com.

Digital Literacy
Language learning is tough work. Though I had studied Japanese for many years before moving here, I struggled in my first job. Sometimes I had difficulty understanding my colleagues. More frustrating was my frequent inability to respond effectively to their questions in Japanese. However, nothing was more difficult than learning to read and write. Because Japanese use logographs called kanji borrowed from the Chinese writing system instead of an alphabet, I first had to memorize well over a thousand symbols. Like Japanese elementary school students, I spent hours writing the characters and memorizing the correct stroke orders. I also had to learn Japanese grammar and sentence patterns, which differ considerably from English. Then, I had to learn the process for typing on the computer.
In doing so, I realized that though learning to read and write English was not as frustrating, the process was lengthy and effortful. Like most middle-aged Americans, I learned to print, then write cursive. I proceeded through a series of graded readers, took spelling and vocabulary tests in elementary school. In junior high school, I remember studying literature, and in senior high school, learning how to write essays and drilling English grammar.
Learning to program is a similar process. To effectively train students for careers, schools need comprehensive computer literacy programs. Until they are implemented, parents will have to fill the void. Some suggestions for doing so follow:
1.      Digital natives reared in a world of pc’s, tablets, smart phones and a plethora of other technologies, most children are comfortable using technology. However, if they are not, parents should begin orienting them to devices like smart phones and laptops, showing them how they work. Having elementary students use an online calculator to check homework or conduct searches of topics that interest provide a fun means of introducing them to the digital world
2.      Parents can also show their children how to use common word processing and computational software like MS Word and MS Excel or their Apple equivalents. Similarly, parents can introduce their children to Google and other search engines in addition to teaching them how to use email and social media.
3.      Children can begin to experiment with programming in playful ways using programs including those provided by coder.org, Code Monster, MIT’s Scratch, and Khan Academy, which also offers a range of lessons on topics as varied as algebra, computer science, finance, physics, and medicine.
4.      By the time children are in junior high school, the should learn to code in HTML, used to create web pages, and later, Java Script. Python is another user-friendly language. R, used in statistical analysis, is also an option, especially for those who enjoy mathematics.
5.      As a milestone goal, you children should aim for intermediate-level proficiency in at least one language like Python or Java by the time they complete high school. If they have not already done so, children should join online groups of coders learning the same language to share programs and obtain needed help.
6.      If you do not have programming skills yourself, you might consider hiring a tutor. To learn c language, I hired a Chinese Ph.D. student at the local university. She was as delighted to earn the extra pocket money as I was to receive her able, patient, affordable assistance.
Learning computer languages is arduous work, but like English, they are spoken the world over. Investing in learning them will yield dividends for your children serving them a lifetime. Many of us will learn some useful skills in the process ourselves.

Joseph Gabriella, Ph.D., MBA
Founder and CEO, Play-Ed Corporation

Author Profile
Dr. Gabriella is an accomplished scholar and businessman. Ivy-league educated, he has served as a lecturer or professor at universities in the U.S., Japan, and China. Currently, he resides in Japan, where he is a senior manager and active consultant. A former high-school math teacher, Joseph is passionate about teaching critical STEM skills to future generations through his company, Play-Ed Corporation.




STEM Lessons

For a nominal monthly fee, students may enroll in virtual STEM lessons that either I or one of my trained staff will facilitate.

Each week, I will provide one STEM challenge problem for students to solve. Then, through a virtual lesson, I will review key concepts from the problem, respond to questions, and teach students various learning strategies, problem-solving methods, and types of thinking. I will also furnish opportunities for participants to learn from one another. Finally, I will collect feedback from students for use in improving the lessons, making them more fun and didactic.The purpose of this extra-curricular training is to guide students in the application of STEM subjects to real-world problem, thereby preparing them for future careers.




Uncle Joe's Tutoring

For a nominal fee, I will set up four, 30-minute online sessions with students to tutor middle-school and high-school math, science and English each month. Students will participate in sessions with up to four others depending on scheduling. While I plan to tutor as frequently as possible, I also use tutors I have trained, usually career teachers or university instructors. Students will have access to discussion forums where they can pose questions to other students and to me. To maximize learning, I strongly encourage students in the same class to register together.


Contact Dr. Joseph Gabriella at jgabriella.played@gmail.com to register.




© 2016 Joseph Gabriella, Ph.D., MBA. All rights reserved.