12/13/2014 December 13, 2014This past week the third graders learned about Computer Science Education Week and the Hour of Code. In class they logged into the code.org site (using the same log in and password as they use for their online texts) to use a coding platform called Blockly developed by Google. This makes writing lines of code a more visual experience for students, allowing them to use logic and reasoning to complete each puzzle. We will continue with the coding activities on December 18, which will be our last class before the Christmas break. If students become a little restless over the holidays, picking up with the coding activities will provide a nice workout of thinking skills. I am able to see their progress as they work through each puzzle. Feel free to explain and reason it out with them if they hit a snag. They have done a great job so far. An interesting anecdote: This week as I walked around the room during the coding time, one student was very pleased with himself as the message flashed each time as to how many lines of code he had written so far. He confided to me that another student had taught him a little trick as to how to get the total number of lines higher. Just have your character (in this case the Angry Bird) turn around in a complete circle, each right turn being an additional line of code, and then give the bird instructions to move forward. I then shared the strategy that in writing a computer program, you want to use the least amount of code possible to make your program clean and simple. Although he was a little disappointed, it did seem to make sense to him. And it will make more sense as in future puzzles they will learn about "loops" and get instructions to accomplish the task with fewer lines of code. I did commend him on his creative approach, and I love the enthusiasm of the students as they master each puzzle. Please encourage this at home if possible. It is a great learning experience for them! The red and blue tile is available on the class webmix or simply sign in at code.org. Article: Why the Future Will Be Made by Creators, Not Consumers Comments are closed.
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