This class we spent some time in groups exploring different resources for bringing coding into the classroom. I liked the mix of lecture and group activity used today as it gave me information and then time to try out different apps or services. I started off in a group looking at codemonkey, which is a game where you have a selection of movement options (right, left, up, down) to try and get the monkey from where they are standing to a treasure chest on the screen. One arrow is one space of movement so if the money is two steps away from the treasure you need to input “right, right” into the movement before pressing go. The experience is very beginner level which could work with some grades but the site has the most obnoxious music so that would be something to work around. Some other students seemed to really dislike this site but I could see it used well in primary grades.
Next I went to look at the topic I was most interested in which was the unplugged coding
I like the idea of introducing a topic and having students interact with something hands on, then linking it with an activity done on a computer or tablet. This site is an amazing resource for lesson plans with printables and, as was mentioned in class, some lesson ideas come with videos of classes working through the activities. They also had cross curricular activities so students can learn the ideas around coding without knowing that the activity is promoting that. The group that I was with all agreed that this is a great resource for teachers on call. Overall I was really impressed with this site and I made sure to bookmark it for future use.
The computer science unplugged website also had activities that bridged into Scratch and Scratch Jr. so I decided to check out Scratch next. It is much more advanced than codemonkey and would require more reading skills. Scratch is made uses blocks of code in the shape of puzzle pieces that can be connected to program animations or games. This tool is something I feel would take much prep time for a teacher/TOC to integrate into their classrooms with purpose. Although I was sure there would be resources on lesson planning with Scratch so I did a google search and one of the other resources we talked about came up
https://www.commonsense.org/education/website/scratch/lesson-plans
I had never heard of Commonsense.org but it sounds like a great resource. I struggle at times to be able to gauge the lever of a grade 2 compared to a grade 4 so I see this coming in handy while I navigate the first few years of my teaching career.Â
Al in all I was really happy to spend time playing around with the suggested apps/websites today and talk with other students about what we liked or didn’t like about them.
Until next time!