Hour of Code!
The annual "Hour of Code" is coming! Our school is getting on board and my colleague Lori and I will use our science classes in the middle school for a designated time for students to access the "Hour of Code Website" and navigate through tutorials of their choosing. There is a misconception that coding is only for computer teachers or ICT staff. Before I started, most of my coding experience was relegated to tinkering with height and width code numbers for embedding youtube videos, working with scratch animation, and the occasional formula when working with Google spreadsheets. What I didn't know, was that many of the formulas that I used with spreadsheets were a entry-level form of Javascript and not too technical for even me.
Although Code Academy has a number of free tutorials to explore, I've taken it upon myself to participate in the 20 hour "Intro to Computer Science" course. So far, I've done the basic tutorials, but I can't believe how much fun it is. My first program that I wrote is using block programming to draw a symmetrical set of polygons. All of the tutorials that I have done so far are a blend between instructional videos and a break afterwards to practice what you've learned. Here is a familiar character giving one of the lesson tutorials on "if" statements:
I'm going to reserve judgement at this time, and at this stage of my coding ability, I have yet to see the applications of coding in the science classroom, but I hope with more experience, I can provide advice on how one could use this with students. Until then, I'm going to ask any readers out there:
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| Image courtesy of http://code.org/stats |
Although Code Academy has a number of free tutorials to explore, I've taken it upon myself to participate in the 20 hour "Intro to Computer Science" course. So far, I've done the basic tutorials, but I can't believe how much fun it is. My first program that I wrote is using block programming to draw a symmetrical set of polygons. All of the tutorials that I have done so far are a blend between instructional videos and a break afterwards to practice what you've learned. Here is a familiar character giving one of the lesson tutorials on "if" statements:
I'm going to reserve judgement at this time, and at this stage of my coding ability, I have yet to see the applications of coding in the science classroom, but I hope with more experience, I can provide advice on how one could use this with students. Until then, I'm going to ask any readers out there:
When was the last time you tried something new?
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