To Code or Not to code

There is a new fever in town and it is called Coding. it is a fever spreading fast, spreading through all levels of the educational system and age groups.  Have you been beaten by the coding bug? or are infected by the craze for learning how to code?

But what exactly is coding? Simply put, Coding is what makes it possible for use to create computer software, apps and website. and if you are interested in taking the antidote for the coding fever, then i prescribe you take Coding 101. If you don't know the first thing about coding then the right place to go to is CODE CONQUEST. They have put together a beginners tutorial which wil give you the background information you need on coding. it start

Even our school students are not spared from the infection. Students are encouraged not just know how to use program, but also to know how to write programs that can help solve problems of their communities.

edshelf provides a set of web, desktop, and mobile apps that students can use to learn computer programming.

 

by edshelf: A discovery engine of websites, mobile apps, desktop programs, and electronic products for teaching and learning.

So take some doses of this programmes and decide if it is going to be 'to Code' or 'not to Code'

My journey into the Web.

 A lot of us have taken trips into the World Wide Web at one time or the other, we send mails, search for information, socialize and do a whole lot of other stuffs the web affords us to. But how far we go in this journey on the web depends on how much understanding we have of the different routes there are, and the fastest and best way we can get to our desired destination.
I am certain a lot of people would respond to the question , 'Are you web literate ?" with a sure 'yes'. I would have answered same a week back, but having just conclude a training on Web 2 and Social Media learning opportunity organized by CTA Netherlands in collaboration with Bowen University. My answer should have been a 'Big NO'. 
                                                                                                                                                                                         

 

Venue: Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria

                                          Dates and time: 07-11 April 2014 (9 AM-5 PM

The journey took us from understanding the Web 2 and Social Media concepts and principles, opportunities and threats. 
               

Programme of the Learning Opportunity

1.            Introduction to the participatory World Wide Web (Web 2.0)

2.            Search Magic: How to conduct advanced multilingual online searches;

3.            Information Self Service: How to get selected information served to you via alerts and RSS feeds;

4.            Remote collaboration: How to develop content remotely using wikis and Google Drive;

5.            Online mapping: How to locate your organisation and your projects on a online Map;

6.            How to communicate voice over the internet at no cost;

7.            Online publishing (micro-blogging and blogging);

8.            Professional / corporate social networking (LinkedIn and Facebook);

            9.      Web 2.0 self-instruction (introduction to iMARK) 

Technological innovation is taking place at a breath-taking pace. Simple, open source internet-based applications and services designed to enhance on-line collaboration are now available to the wider public at little or no cost at all. These new online technologies known as Web 2.0 applications and social media - enable people to collaborate to create, share and publish information.

The Bowen University in collaboration with The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA)  hosted a 5-day Web 2.0 Learning Opportunity which  started on Monday 07 April 2014 at 9 AM. Participants were introduced to selected web 2.0 applications and  learnt how to use them hands-on. The Learning Opportunity covered advanced online searching, getting information served via alerts and RSS, collaborating remotely using wikis and Google Drive, using VoIP, online mapping and social networking. Participants were given a chance to see what others have done, get hands-on experience on how to use innovative applications, and assess how they could adopt these innovations within the context of their work and organisation.

 It was quite an intensive training and I personally learnt a lot, also i learnt how to better use web tools i was already familiar with. There were also extras we got to add to our backpacks, like getting to know about sites like Format factory, Delicious, IFTTT If This Then That and a whole lot of others. Above all one major lesson i learnt from the training as a whole was not to work hard but WORK SMART!!