Jackson Hinds Library System receives $10,000 federal coding grant

Anne Sanders, branch librarian of the Medgar Evers Library, looks on as Jamarion Atkinson, 9 years old (white shirt) and Darius Johnson, 10 years old (blue shirt) observe robotic toy.

By Janice K. Neal-Vincent,

Contributing Writer,

Anne Sanders, branch librarian of the Medgar Evers Library, looks on as Jamarion Atkinson, 9 years old (white shirt) and Darius Johnson, 10 years old (blue shirt) observe robotic toy.
Anne Sanders, branch librarian of the Medgar Evers Library, looks on as Jamarion Atkinson, 9 years old (white shirt) and Darius Johnson, 10 years old (blue shirt) observe robotic toy.

The Jackson Hinds Library System recently received a $10,000 federally-funded Library Services and Technology Act grant to teach coding skills to elementary students at their seven Jackson library locations.

Funds will be utilized to purchase iPads and interactive robotic toys to teach introductory computer programming skills to elementary-aged students.

“This grant will enable us to offer the basic steps of coding using fun, colorful robots and iPads. This is equipment that is exciting for any age, and we believe that the kids will really enjoy this program which could help them prepare for a career in the field later in life,” said Library Executive Director Patty Furr.

The Mississippi Coding Academy was housed in the Welty Library Technology Lab for the first four months of the academy’s course. During that period Welty Library administrators became aware of the need for elementary school children to learn coding and to incorporate basics to program computers.

Botley, one way to introduce students to coding, paves the way for other computer programming such as Hour of Code, Scratch or Apple’s Swift Playground. Kimberly Corbett, Deputy Director, noted that “Botley encourages sequential thinking and each line or square is a block of code.”

“But girls don’t normally have linear thinking which is required,” added Furr. “The kids have to program to follow lines,” she continued.

Osmo, another coding method, fosters social intelligence and creative thinking by opening up the iPad and iPhone to the endless possibilities of physical play. “This music game writes a song. Boys and girls venture evenly to the game. It’s a cute game designed to encourage learning for educational and fun purposes. So students learn the coding language as well as the fundamentals,” Corbett stated.

Furr and Corbett concur that it is good to possess coding skills, even if a person is not scientifically or mathematically inclined. It is useful for artists, composers, musicians, English majors or anyone who is language-oriented then, to do coding.

Jackson Hinds Library System is expecting 1800 to 2000 books on coding for students. Accordingly, participants can learn the fundamentals of coding and progress to advancement. While directors project that it will be in every library in Jackson and will move to the counties, coding already exists in many elementary schools.

Computer coding is a growth industry in Mississippi. Thus, the Mississippi Coding Academy was formed last year to begin to teach computer coding to high school graduates. “Students are prepared for employment in the field where salaries range from $40,000 to $50,000 plus and no college degree is required,” said Richard A. Sun, CFA during a telephone interview. He surmised that anyone could learn coding and that retirees could take on coding as a second career.

Sun referenced that coding is called the Mississippi model because no one else is doing it. “As we become known, the state’s name will be attached to it. Taking leadership in this area will give people a positive image of Mississippi,” he contended.

Mississippi Coding Academies are part of a non-profit economic development and educational initiative sponsored by Innovative Mississippi, the Mississippi Development Authority, the Mississippi Works program, Mississippi State University and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, in partnership with Hinds Community College, East Mississippi Community College and the Mississippi Community College Board.

For additional information on coding, email Patty Furr @pfurr@jhlibrary.org or call 601-968-5825; email Richard A. Sun @ rich@Richardasun.com or call 202-285-7272.

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