Why Should Communicators Learn To Code?
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Why Should Communicators Learn To Code? @CindyRoyal Associate Professor Texas State University Knight Journalism Fellow 2013- 2014 slideshare.net/cindyroyal
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Why Should Communicators Learn To Code? Journalism and Women's Symposium, 2014
Transcript of Why Should Communicators Learn To Code?
Why Should Communicators Learn To Code?
@CindyRoyalAssociate ProfessorTexas State UniversityKnight Journalism Fellow 2013-2014slideshare.net/cindyroyal
“Learning these skills isn’t just important for your future, it’s important for our country’s future.”
Barack Obama
“Everyone should learn a computer language, because it teaches you how to think.”
Steve Jobs
Computers will be a part of any media career and most other careers
Data, data everywhere
People will get information in a variety of embedded and atmospheric ways
Storytelling has become interactive
Coding is becoming an important literacy• Supports algorithmic thinking• Develops a problem-solving
mindset• An expression of innovation
and creativity• Provides a perspective on the
tech environment
We have a high % of women in themass communication discipline
An opportunity to address the digital divide
The role of media platform• The content management system
defines a media company’s business
• Who can publish, participate and share?
• What kinds of stories can be told?• What kind of analytics are available?• Need to be able to work efficiently in
a CMS
Retrieving data: Scraping and APIs
What is Computer Programming?• Problem solving using computer code• Working with and developing algorithms to accomplish
specific tasks• Web development is a type of computer programming• Combination of content, design, functionality and data• Computers are dumb, but obedient –will do what you tell
them.• It’s fun! Provides a sense of accomplishment.
Types of Languages• Markup languages – HTML/CSS• Compiler languages – Java, C, C++ - used for large systems• Interpreted languages – JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP• Data-oriented languages - SQL• Visual languages – like Scratch for kids• Web Development Frameworks – Bootstrap, Django, Rails• Libraries - JQuery
Basic Coding SyntaxHTML – using tags to markup text
<html><head><title>My Website</title><head><body><h1>Welcome to my website</h1></body></html>
CSS – applying design and layout
body {background: white;font-size: 12px;color: black;
}
h1 {font-size: 30px;color: red;
}
Basic Coding Syntax
• Data types – string, integer, etc.• Variables – can store and reuse information
x = 10;name = "Cindy";
Logic: applied through if statements and loops
if (age >= 18) {document.write(“You are old enough to vote”);
}else {
document.write(“You are not yet old enough to vote”);
}
x = 0;sum = 1;while (x < 10) { sum = sum * 2; x = x+1;}
Functions: ability to reuse coding instructions and call when needed
function addNum(x) { sum = sum + x; document.write(sum);}
addNum(10);
Coding in the Curriculum• HTML/CSS• Bootstrap• Wordpress• Drupal• JavaScript/Jquery• Charting Tools• Python Web Scraping/API• Web Frameworks
Get Started• Codecademy.com• Lynda.com• Chartle/Wordle• Google Charts, MyMaps and Fusion Tables• Chart.js or HighCharts• Spreadsheet basics• Coding meetups/hackathons in your community,
like Girls Who Code, Hacks/Hackers• Review great work• CodeActually.com
