1. Why Should Communicators Learn To Code? @CindyRoyal Associate Professor Texas State University Stanford Knight Journalism Fellow 2013-2014 slideshare.net/cindyroyal

3. “Learning these skills isn’t just important for your future, it’s important for our country’s future.” Barack Obama

4. “Everyone should learn a computer language, because it teaches you how to think.” Steve Jobs

6. 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

7. Computers will be a part of any media career and most other careers

8. Data, data everywhere

9. People will get information in a variety of embedded and atmospheric ways

10. Storytelling has become interactive

12. Retrieving data: Scraping and APIs

14. We have a high % of women in the mass communication discipline An opportunity to address the digital divide

15. New York Times, Interactive News Developer “The job requires solid coding skills and the ability to execute.” “Expert-level of standards-driven CSS, HTML, JavaScript.” “Experience with Ruby, Python or MySQL is a plus.” Quartz, Reporter on “Things” Team “Quartz seeks a reporter to help us commit acts of journalism with code.” “Chiefly responsible for our data-driven and visual journalism, from charts to interactive graphics to news apps. Background in “front-end Web development, systems administration, statistics, data science, design, writing or information architecture.” Jobs!

16. – BuzzFeed, Data Journalist for Investigative Reporting Team “Track record of using data to find, tell and reinforce powerful stories.” “Be proficient in at least one modern programming language.” – Austin American-Statesman, News Application Specialist “Programming skills to develop apps for HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript.” “Familiarity with Web APIs and common data visualization libraries.” “Experience with a web development framework such as Rails or Django is preferred.” Jobs!

17. Work with a CMS

18. The rise of the 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?

24. 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.

25. Types of Languages Markup languages – HTML/CSS Interpreted languages – JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP Data-oriented languages – SQL Web Development Frameworks – Bootstrap, Django, Rails Libraries - JQuery

26. Coding Syntax HTML/CSS – foundation of the Web, provides structure and styling of Web pages. Logic-based languages: – Data types and variables – Logic via if statements and loops – Functions

27. Coding in the Curriculum HTML/CSS Bootstrap Wordpress JavaScript/JQuery Charting Tools Python Web Scraping/API Web Frameworks

28. Tech in the Curriculum History of computers, Internet and Web Social and cultural effects of technology New business models/platforms Network effects Technology entrepreneurship Social media Data Tech news Communication skills introduced in these contexts

29. New Major Proposal Digital Media Innovation – a digitally immersive major for a subset of students. Same core as other majors: Intro. to Mass Comm, Media Writing, Media Law and Digital Fundamentals 15-18 hours in digitally focused courses – Web Design, Programming, Multimedia, Advanced Social Media, Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Mobile Reporting/Development 6-9 hours in traditional courses

31. How? Partner with computer science or other technology departments Find community resources Allow and encourage faculty to seek these competencies Prioritize when hiring General faculty development around technology awareness and literacy

32. Get Started Codecademy.com Lynda.com Google Charts, MyMaps and Fusion Tables Chart.js or HighCharts Coding meetups/hackathons in your community, like Girls Who Code, Hacks/Hackers CodeActually.com

33. Get Started Introduce technology concepts: – Agile Methodologies – Design Thinking – Prototyping Spreadsheet basics Chartle/Wordle Review great work