Let's teach computer science ACROSS the curriculum.

It’s winter break, and I am dipping my feet into Unity. I was told by my professors that that is the next monster to take on. I was a bit apprehensive as I found Blender 3D a bit difficult to master. I am not a digital artist though I can finagle my way around.

What I initially noticed was how similar the two programs were…so much so that I did not have a difficult time making my way to various elements. But I loved the addition of the Scene View and Game View components. I was not going to be bamboozled this term or by this class, I wanted to get the reigns right. I thought about hiring a tutor and then stumbled upon the huge library of resources that Unity has–even for students.

I signed up right away and started with Create with Code (nearly 42 hours to complete)! I found that while there were similarities between the two platforms there were also some differences. Unity had CODING. Oh man, did it send me back to my first years at UC Davis at the college of engineering. I remember my first few quarters and learning about coding and thinking this is NOT what I signed up for. Ages ago I knew my childhood dreams of being a doctor would be fulfilled, but they were tested when coding was a necessary evil to get me to my desired goal.

You know what happened … I am now an educator and entrepreneur. 🙂 The instructor of the Create with Code made it simple…the projects and especially the coding. I do not know what has changed but I even found myself enjoying it as I went through the first unit. I did not find in frustrating in the least …well mildly so, but not enough for me to throw it away and close my laptop.

This made me think of other children like myself who could have benefited from such things in school or the children in South Africa who need these skills to be able to thrive in this forever evolving world of ours.

Life is always changing and so are we. I love how things come full circle. And so far, I am loving Unity. As I look into how I can alter the narrative of Black and brown students in South Africa, I think about what needs these youth have and that a degree no longer assures that one will have job security. Entrepreneurship and technology are front and center.

Me and my students made it out to a local science center in our area to brainstorm about how ways to teach across subjects. And it seems ironic that the South African department of education has also seen the need to change the curriculum to include this change.

*I will be back to update when I am finished with these 40 hours.