CODING in the Classroom
Coding Apps, Sites and Hardware
Teaching Coding to the Youngest Students
Use these age appropriate games to teach your elementary students coding concepts. From Puppy Adventures to Math Art and Maze Craze, you'll find games your students will enjoy. Grades: 1-8
Has made news as an iPad app targeted to students as young as kindergarten age. The first 30 levels are free, more than enough for an hour of code. They recommend this for age 5 and up, but there are stories of kids even younger using the app with great success to learn to program. iPad schools will want this app on every device.
A free iPad app designed by the Hopscotch people to introduce young students to some programming basics. The app asks students to create commands for Daisy the Dinosaur to carry out. There is a free play mode in which students can make Daisy do whatever they want. But to get started you might want to have students work through the beginner challenges mode.
Cato's Hike (light)
Takes kids on a story-based adventure through mazes to collect hearts and stars and find friends, using the logic of computer programming to guide their character. The backstory is delivered in pieces at each leg of the hike. There are keys to find, doors to unlock, and damsels in distress to rescue. The pop-up commentary that delivers the backstory manages to redeem the "damsel-in-distress" sexism with the comment, "Well, not really. Your friend really just went for a walk and you couldn't keep up." Kids can share their programs via email.
Teaching Coding to Age 8 and Up
Is the free iPad app for upper elementary and above. Wesley Fryer has created an excellent free ebook for Hopscotch in the classroom, full of challenges that you can use with students. He also recommends activating the emoji keyboard (go to Settings > General > Keyboards) for use with the program.
A programming game that can be downloaded or used on the Web and is supported by MIT. They've got a powerful Hour of Code tutorial where students can program a holiday card in their web browser. Or, if you want options for other times of the year, use the one-hour "Speed Racer" activity to teach your students Scratch. Teachers can watch this tutorial video to learn how, visit Scratch's Hour of Code Ideas forum to ask questions, or search "Hour of Code" on the forum for lesson plans using everything from coordinate geometry to Latin. Scratch is considered acceptable for beginners.
Another popular platform with a unique storytelling aspect. You can use it to create a game, tell a story or make an animated video. Like Scratch, Alice is free and supported by a powerful community of educators. There are two versions of Alice. (The newer 3.0 version still has a few bugs but also sports many new, very cool animations.) This longstanding platform is a rewarding tool that kids will want to keep using past the initial hour. Alice is considered more for the intermediate student, but experienced teachers can use this with beginners.
Inspired by Scratch's snapping blocks system, this software lets users create simple games for iOS, Android, Flash, Windows, Linux and Mac. If your kid is serious about it, there are paid pro plans that come with advanced functionality.
Hakitzu
A mobile-strategy game where two robots square off against each other on a grid. It teaches the JavaScript programming language through a battle arena. To make a mech robot warrior maneuver and fight, the player has to write increasingly sophisticated code that allows it to perform functions such as movement, targeting, and firing.
Programming tool that can be easily used on a PC or XBOX to create a simple game. There's also a math curriculum. This is one method that Pat Yongpradit, Code.org's Director of Education, used in his computer science classroom. (I've used it as well.)
Offers a free version that you might want to use for your hour, but if you fall in love with it, the educational package allows teachers to track student progress, among other features. The company supports educators, and there’s also an Edmodo community that shares lesson plans and ideas for the tool, along with videos and a must-see teacher’s guide.
An option if you want to make games that can be played in any web browser. The resources aren't as comprehensive and the community isn't vibrant, but this one has been around awhile and might be fun for a more tech-savvy teacher.
Is used heavily in Europe. There are also some U.S. schools using it on iOS and Android devices. With free downloadable materials by age level, this is an option for many BYOD high schools.
An option that lets you install and use Minecraft in the classroom. While this does require some purchase and setup, Minecraft seems to be gaining in popularity among educators as an in-house, 3D world-programming environment that kids love. Minecraft.edu has a Google group and best practices wiki.
This non-profit foundation website is a great starting point for coding novices. It shares lots of useful online resources, apps and even local schools for learning coding. Be sure to watch the inspirational video on the main page which features tech legends like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg who insist that "anone can code," not just computer geeks.
Code Academy
This by far the most popular of them all. Code Academy provides lessons on writing simple commands in JavaScript, HTML and CSS, Python and Ruby.
Girl Develop It
One of many programs geared toward females who want to code, Girl Develop It is an international nonprofit that provides mentorship and instruction.
Udacity Computer Science Course ( not free)
Stanford University’s Udacity is one of many sites that make college courses—including Introduction to Computer Science—available online for free.
Teamtreehouse
Learn from over 1000 videos created by expert teachers on web design, coding, business, and much more. This library is continually refreshed with the latest on web technology so you'll never fall behind.
The Computer Club House
The Computer Clubhouse, which Resnick co-founded, works to “help young people from low-income communities learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies,” as he describes.
Coder Dojo
Through CoderDojo’s volunteer-led sessions, young people can learn to code, go on tours of tech companies and hear guest speakers.
Code School
Code School offers online courses in a wide range of programming languages, design and web tools.
Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code, geared specifically toward 13- to 17-year-old girls, pairs instruction and mentorship to “educate, inspire and equip” students to pursue their engineering and tech dreams.
Provides young and pre-teen girls of color opportunities to learn in-demand skills in technology and computer programming at a time when they are naturally thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.
Use Hardware and Make Something Cool
Programming, making and creating have never been easier. If you're getting into the Maker movement or #geniushour, these are staples for your classroom. While they may take longer than an hour of code, they're definitely something 21st century schools can use, because students are programming and building with their hands.
The Raspberry Pi
An inexpensive computer. While Kickstarter's Kano kit isn't available yet (but is likely what we'll be talking about next year), there are so many things kids can make with the Raspberry Pi. After setting one of these up with my 15-year-old nephew, I recommend that the teacher be a tad more advanced! This is definitely a tool I'd use in my classroom. (Cost for a kit runs less than $100.)
Is basically a motherboard that you can make, plus a programming kit. I have one of these in my classroom, and the students are fixated for hours. Several of my students have spent the last eight weeks programming and tinkering with the boards. That said, don't share them between classes, as students will be undoing each other's work. (Cost for a kit is around $100.)
Students love Legos! The newer NXT kits even have cool robots that can be made and programmed. This product has been around for years, so there are many resources for teachers. If you purchase an older kit on eBay, make sure it will work with newer operating systems.
Descriptions from:
10 places where anyone can learn to code | TED Blog
- http://blog.ted.com/2013/01/29/10-places-where-anyone-can-learn-to-code/
Kodable Teaches Kids To Code Before They Learn To Read
- http://readwrite.com/2013/04/23/kodable-teaches-kids-to-code-before-they-learn-to-read
Kuato teaches kids to code via Hakitzu educational game
- http://venturebeat.com/2013/03/26/kuato-teaches-kids-to-code-via-hakitzu-educational-game/
15+ Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without a Computer)
- http://www.edutopia.org/blog/15-ways-teaching-students-coding-vicki-davis
Black Girls Code
- http://www.blackgirlscode.com/about-bgc.html
Common Sense Media
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/catos-hike-a-programming-and-logic-odyssey