5th - 8th grade students explored Bitsbox this week. I signed up for a free teachers kit, and what arrived were pamphlets with codes. When students put the codes into the website, they were able to use the template to create a variety of apps. The students enjoyed it and when given free choice later in the week, Bitsbox was what they chose. I also noticed a lot of collaboration going on. Students were not quietly working on their own, but up and around the room, checking out what a friend was creating and sharing ideas. The students were engaged, excited and learning!
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4th graders were excited to share their knowledge of coding with our Administrator. Brendan, Anyeh and Grace taught our principal to code using Scratch. They had fun demonstrating how to choose a sprite, make it move and add sound effects. The first graders showed our custodian how much fun coding with The Foos can be. Noah, Claire and Jack took Mr. Jose through several levels of The Foos, showing him how to move forward, jump and turn.
The second graders were trapped in Rudolph's Room! Rudolph was off at Reindeer Games Training Camp and somehow the second graders ended up in his room (apparently I went right, they went left.....) The door locked behind them and the only way to Breakout was to solve the puzzles that Rudolph left and discover the Secret Code to the Digital Door Lock. The puzzles were hidden in a letter Rudolph wrote to his mom and in Holiday Songs, on Christmas Trees and in a secret coded message. Rudolph also hid a key to one of the locks under a shelf. It took some work, but two groups were able to Breakout of Rudolph's Room in time and found a treat along the way. Unfortunately, the other three groups ran out of time and are still stuck in Rudolph's Room. Luckily the first two groups found the treat and shared that with the other groups before they broke out. This Breakout Game was created using the Breakout Edu kit. Visit http://www.breakoutedu.com/ to learn more.
Ozobots are tiny robots that follow color commands. Students program or code the robots by drawing line and color patterns on paper and watch the Ozobot follow the commands. The Ozobot also works with two iPads (and I am sure more will be developed) to move and dance. We are just beginning to explore what we can do with these fun little robots and we ill be sure to share what we discover.
The 2nd graders used the EduCreations App on our class iPads to demonstrate how they add two digit numbers with regrouping. It is interesting how each student explains it a little differently and how it helps me understand my students thinking.
1st, 2nd and 3rd graders had a great time coding this week. The Foos looks like a game, but requires students to write the code to tell their character what to do. They get to make decisions that impact how the character moves and what happens in the game. The game starts out with simple commands and gets more difficult. The children are easily able to navigate each level and able to figure out what needs to be done. They were very happy and excited to help each other and were begging to visit The Foos on their next visit to the computer lab.
2nd Graders had some Halloween fun solving puzzles, unlocking locks and trying to Breakout of Igor's Lab. It was a Breakout Game called Monster Mash and I am happy to report all 2nd graders were able to Escape before the monsters returned.
The 2nd graders also spent time on Halloween parading to Clark Retirement Home. It is a tradition for our students to walk over to the retirement home and parade for the delight of the residents. Back at school we paraded for the rest of the school, and then enjoyed some treats. It was a Happy Halloween!
We need to innovate! We need to give students the opportunity to think, to invent, to create and to solve real problems.
Code Monkey is one of my favorite (and my students' favorite) websites!
The Code Monkey Free Trial https://www.playcodemonkey.com/ is a set of 30 challenges that teach the basics of computer science for students with little or no coding experience. Students write actual code to help Code Monkey beat each level, and catch bananas. I am not sure how it actually saves the world, but it is a fun catch phrase. CodeMonkey uses CoffeeScript, a real programming language that compiles to JavaScript. The levels begin quite simply, and gradually get more difficult, adding more real coding tasks along the way. The screen is set to give hints and help students be successful and write the code. Other fun characters are introduced along the way. The 30 free levels can be completed in one or two class periods and it challenges all levels of learners. Students interested may look into the paid accounts to extend their learning.
Code.org is a great place to learn more and get your students excited about coding. It is ready for you to use with your students today. While you may create accounts for them, they may also use the website without an account. I started by having my students work through the Hour Of Code, 20 level tutorial. The tutorial is ready for students of all ages. Students in grades 1-8 will be challenged and find success. It is an excellent introduction to many of the coding terms and commands. It uses the Blockly drag and drop programming, and the videos inserted between the levels teach students along the way and feature celebrities and sports figures that appeal to the students.
Students should be encouraged to work in pairs, and to help each other. I loved watching the youngest students’ excitement when they figured out the steps and were able to share this with their friends. This is not going to be a quiet class, but one buzzing with excitement and learning. It also teaches students to persevere - try, try, again. Some of the help I do give the students is to have them verbalize what needs to happen. This often helps them figure out how to put the action into the correct code. I encourage teachers to go through the levels once themselves, to experience what the children will be learning. You may let them go at their own pace, or show the videos every few minutes to the whole group, talking about the terms that were introduced. Using the Hour of Code tutorial will also help you decide which course within Hour of Code you may want to assign to your students. The courses are listed by age level, but as we all know some students need a greater challenge, and others may need some more foundation building activities. Code.org has activities for all ages, all levels, and all abilities. The Hour of Code (https://code.org/) campaign was launched in 2013 to encourage students all over the United States to code for one hour. In addition to the Hour of Code activities, Code.org has provided a wealth of additional coding activities, websites, and apps complete with coding activities for all grade levels. Teachers can set up student accounts and monitor as they complete the levels of coding. Code.org provides video tutorials, many by celebrities, to teach each step in the coding process. My students have enjoyed progressing through the levels, from the Angry Bird lessons, moving on to create their own Flappy Bird, to creating a Snowflake with Elsa and Anna, and more. |
AuthorI teach technology to grades Preschool through 8th grade in the mornings, and 2nd grade math, science and religion in the afternoon.I love to share the ways we utilize technology to enhance our learning. Archives
September 2016
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