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Non-Formal and Informal Science Learning in the ICT Era pp 83–97Cite as

Music and Coding as an Approach to a Broad-Based Computational Literacy

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Abstract

This chapter takes up two questions related to science learning in the twenty-first century. How do we develop broad-based computational literacy skills for the next generation of learners? And, how do we do that in a way that engages diverse learners whose voices have been historically marginalized in computing fields? To think about these questions, we provide a case study of student learning around music and coding in the context of a middle school summer camp. We reflect on the process through which multiple literacies (music as a literacy and computational literacy) shape student learning, creative expression, and engagement. We propose that developing computational literacy skills for the purposes of science might best be accomplished through a long-term, multidisciplinary approach in which students engage in many kinds of activities for diverse purposes, including that of personal creative expression. Music, in turn, provides a particularly rich context through which to explore concepts of computer programming.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    https://home.cc.gatech.edu/ice-gt/597.

  2. 2.

    This work is supported by the National Science Foundation grants 1612619, 1451762, and 1837661. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Brian Magerko and Jason Freeman from Georgia Institute of Technology, and Nichole Pinkard and Amy Pratt from Northwestern University. We also gratefully acknowledge Cortez Watson, Brian Andrus, Izaiah Wallace, and all of the participants in our summer camp. This research was supported by grants DRL-1612619, DRL-1837661, and DRL‐1451762 from the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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  1. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Michael S. Horn, Amartya Banerjee & Melanie West

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  1. Michael S. Horn
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  2. Amartya Banerjee
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Correspondence to Michael S. Horn .

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  1. Department of Computer Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Michail Giannakos

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Horn, M.S., Banerjee, A., West, M. (2020). Music and Coding as an Approach to a Broad-Based Computational Literacy. In: Giannakos, M. (eds) Non-Formal and Informal Science Learning in the ICT Era. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6747-6_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6747-6_5

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