Author: Gicela

#SummerOfCode 2016

Posted on by Gicela

So #SummerOfCode 2016 got off to a very good start – a room full of busy and enthusiastic young people ready to create their own Apps.

They had all travelled to the independent Curzon Cinema in Clevedon with their laptops and tablets, expectant of a morning packed with different coding activities.

I was pleased to see how quickly the boys and girls learnt some basic JavaScript coding – then interact with their own apps on their tablets and phones. They also unilaterally chose to ‘work’ right through their ‘Haribo-breaks; maybe I should approach Haribo to sponsor the third #SummerOfCode next year?!

The event would have not been possible without the passionate and dedicated staff at the Curzon Clevedon Cinema who helped me put together the event – and our kind sponsor, Leslie Dark & Co.

 

Creating games with Hopscotch

Posted on by Gicela

Years 1 & 2 enjoyed creating their own games with Hopscotch. The app is intended for 8+ year olds but it can also be used with younger children that are confident using ScratchJr. In our case, most of the children had been creating games with ScratchJr and Hopscotch was the perfect follow up.

Hopscotch is a drag and drop code block programming application, which enabled children to create their own interactive games and stories.

The children learnt how to use the iPad’s features like touch and orientation and use these in their creations. They also learned about coordinates, pixels and how to use emoji’s as characters for their projects as well as the logic needed to animate their characters. Check this project out.

Hopscotch it a great app for learning coding, but it can be a bit challenging for some children if they haven’t grasped the basics. If that is the case, then the ScratchJr app might be more suitable.Learning to code with Hopscotch

 

JavaScript Playground

Posted on by Gicela

Code combat

Last school term, I facilitated half a dozen sessions with a group of secondary school students who had the opportunity to get started with javaScript through play. We used the strategy game Codecombat, which allows students to write code and use computational thinking to guide their character through obstacles and battles. Continue reading “JavaScript Playground”

ScratchJr for Year1 and Year2

Posted on by Gicela

As I entered the school ‘ICT suite’ to deliver the first session on ScratchJr to get the iPads ready, I stared at the vintage PC’s and felt really pleased about our new learning environment. The children are in Year 1 and Year 2 (6/7 years old) and were very eager to see what we were going to do with the shiny new iPads. Continue reading “ScratchJr for Year1 and Year2”

Summer of Code ’15

Posted on by Gicela

I’m delighted to be running a week of free coding workshops for primary and secondary-age children in North Somerset this summer.

The week will kick off with an introduction to making interactive stories using ScratchJr. This is a perfect introduction to computational thinking for little ones. Check out some of the stories and games the children have made at after-school coding club.

Continue reading “Summer of Code ’15”

Coding JavaScript Apps

Posted on by Gicela

In January, I introduced a course on making Apps with JavaScript at my local primary school. I chose Bitsbox, an interactive programming environment which allows children to create Apps that run on mobiles and tablets.

Bitsbox launched a Kickstarter campaign, which I was more than happy to back.

Bitsbox is aimed at primary school children, but can be used by anyone with some knowledge of JavaScript. Continue reading “Coding JavaScript Apps”

Why I love Scratch

Posted on by Gicela

I have been teaching Scratch to primary school children for two years now.

Scratch was developed by MIT to enable children to create their own stories and games while learning to code. There is a terrific community of ‘scratchers’ where projects are shared and remixed. Thousands of projects have been made – from very simple animations to complex programs. Continue reading “Why I love Scratch”

Coding has to be fun

Posted on by Gicela

I was just listening to a Guardian Tech Weekly podcast where the discussion moved on to coding for children. With a new ICT school curriculum, teachers have a big task in their hands. There are many open source resources available that can help to support the new school curriculum, but the choice can be overwhelming for teachers. Continue reading “Coding has to be fun”