Session Description: As NWCCD (Sheridan and Gillette Colleges) and its school district partners develop our approach to K-14 Computer science education, we use a combination of:
- structured learning environments such as Snap, Scratch, MIT App Inventor, Code.org, CodeCombat.com, and CodeHS.com
- “blank page” coding environments, such as C9.io, and
- experiential learning exercises that start students off with working code, often a game, that draws them into learning by allowing them to make (and break) the code in many small ways.
- Come join us for a session of “learning play”, using some of our “low friction” online coding environments. You’ll get to make-and-break-and-fix your own copy of at least one simple online game. You’ll emerge having successfully hacked a small amount JavaScript and, we hope, had some fun along the way. No bits or bytes will be permanently harmed by this exercise!
Session Outcomes: Upon completion of this session, attendees will be able to:
1. Find and use two or three different online coding environments that provide a rich library of learning-ready content.
2. Identify, understand, and appreciate some the basic building blocks of all coding: variables, if/then statements, and loops. You might even meet an object along the way!
3. Increase your personal geek score a couple of points.