Should Teachers Get $100 For Steering Kids To Google's 'Hour of Code' Lesson?

Tomorrow's "Hour of Code" kick-off event features Melinda Gates, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and "multiple state governors," reports theodp -- who has some concerns. With Microsoft boasting that nearly 70 million of its Minecraft Hour of Code sessions have been launched, and tech companies pushing coding and their products into classrooms, it's probably no surprise that the 2017 Hour of Code -- organized by tech-bankrolled Code.org -- seems to have presented a too-hard-to-resist branding opportunity for Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon.

And, in what might evoke memories of Dollars for Doctors, some teachers will even be rewarded for steering their kids to Google's Hour of Code lesson. "Thanks to our friends at Google," explains crowdfunding website DonorsChoose.org, "4th-8th grade public school teachers who engage their students in a 'Create your own Google logo' Hour of Code activity can earn a $100 DonorsChoose.org gift code -- and have the opportunity to receive one of five other grand prizes (including $5,000 in DonorsChoose.org credits for your school!)."

Comments

No, that's a horrible idea

[Ayano]

You're hooking teachers in for profit, possibly even pushing kids who don't want to perform this activity. If you want to get more 'coders' as this articles like to say, then advertise cool activities that they're familiar with.

Making a simple smartphone app, quick, accessible, and they can show it off. It has cool factor for tweens all over it.
Or perhaps a Tumblr or Wordpress page widgets and additions.

Some of you might cringe, but this is what's hip for kids, and honestly it's a better lure than shaking money and the promise of karma at educators.

Re:No, that's a horrible idea

[ShanghaiBill]

You're hooking teachers in for profit

The teachers don't profit. They money goes toward classroom educational projects. For more information, read the summary.

possibly even pushing kids who don't want to perform this activity.

To qualify, the students have to complete the activity, and will likely learn something in the process.

If you are willing to pay....

[bobbied]

I'll be sure to direct my "students" to your thing if I can... Why shouldn't I figure out a way to game this system and make a few bucks?

Now, where did I put that old Teacher ID I used to have to get all those discounts?

I'm kidding, but you KNOW somebody will put aside their ethics and cash in if they can..

No, but really...

[TimothyHollins]

That depends. Is it okay if a pharmaceutical company gives doctors $100 for each kid they diagnose with ADHD? Is it okay if the porn business gives a teacher $100 for each student he/she convinces to go into porn?

Let's make it slightly more ambiguous. What about if doctors got $100 for 'suggesting' an ADHD diagnosis and explaining how it would help the kid get extra teaching aid? What about if the teacher got $100 not for sending a student into porn, but for getting them to audition?

Somewhere on that slope is Google. They're not there yet (paying teachers to force kids into only using Google services), but they're on the road leading there.

Keep in mind that all of the suggestions here are legal, though morally reprehensible, just like Google. And I sure as hell don't trust Google to do something allegedly altruistic after how they handled Damore.

Overblown FUD

[imidan]

First, the teachers don't get $100... they get a code that allows them to put $100 toward a crowdfunding project at DonorsChoose. So the money goes to a classroom project somewhere. I guess a teacher could apply the code to their own crowdfunding goal, but even then, the money doesn't just go into the teacher's pocket. Oh, and they don't get $100 per student, they get $100 if they get 10 students involved.

Second, the 'grand prizes' are all classroom-oriented things, also.

I've said before, I don't have a lot of confidence that the Hour of Code is that beneficial, and it certainly can have the flavor of corporate marketing in schools, but this is not exactly a major payola scandal that we're looking at here.

More tax to fix education?

[AHuxley]

How much funding has been spent all over the USA over the past decades trying to educate generations of very average students?
The computers, new math, new textbooks, robot kits, laptops, internet, e books, improved gui ready robot kits and experts?.
Government demanding more from tax payers, public private partnership support, private sector support to try and get passing grades.
Whats the result? Profits for people selling new products to help teachers try and educate.

What would be a better way to use all that new educational support? Test the students in math and science. Find out who can study and get good grades.

Take all that extra funding out of the school system and give it to the best students who can study.
Show some ability to pass a test well? Get a full scholarship to a really good university as that person has the ability to actually study.
All that new education funding can then be offered to a university to ensure the best students have what is needed for science and engineering.
The below average students can be kept busy been supported learning business math, vocational education, art, sport, languages, history music.

Re:More tax to fix education?

[Mashiki]

Thing is, the US is following the "great education experiment" that the Ontario Liberals just pulled up here in Canada. The results? Well it was female-centric methods of teaching, so here's what happened. Boys doing much worse in every area. Less then half of boys pass the standardized math and reading tests in G.6 and again in G.9. Girls on the other hand 70% passed. Dropouts are increasing. They pushed all of the "ebooks, new text books, chromebooks, etc, etc, etc." Dumped learning by rote and so on and it's been a gigantic clusterfuck.

On the other hand, homeschooling is skyrocketing along with private schooling. I don't live in a rich town, the median income is around $42k/year(median ontario wage is $52k, though closer to $39k if you take Toronto out of the picture), but around half of my neighbors in this area have pulled kids out of school because they'd rather spend time making sure they get an education vs not being taught anything useful at all. Those home schooled kids are passing those standardized tests and coming out in the top 10% though.

Re:More tax to fix education?

[AHuxley]

AC a jet air force analogy might help AC.
A nation accepts random citizens to fly its most advanced jets.
They pass written tests, learn to fly on normal aircraft.
Finally they are ready for a jet. They do the high-G training for the first time and find out that person will never fly a jet.

A smart nation offers some fun G training on the first week and is quickly able to sort its advanced jet pilots from its other pilots.
No money is wasted on learning to fly and everyone with the skills needed gets to stay in the air force.

The same with education.
If the student cant study offer them business math, vocational education, art, sport, languages, history, music.
The university gets the best students who can study and has the budget to cover both science and engineering.
The very average students get a quality vocational education.

The bigger issue...

[dirk]

The bigger issue is that teachers don't have the things they need to teach, so they might feel the need to do this strictly for the money. The teachers aren't actually getting $100 to take home and spend how they want, they are getting $100 that will got to school supplies. School supplies they often have to buy out of their own pocket for their classrooms. If this is something that bothers you, the solution is to make sure all schools and classrooms are properly funded and supplied. Then the teachers wouldn't need to try and get $100 to spend on supplies.