Friday, December 6, 2013

Apps to Celebrate Computer Science Week Dec 9 - 13

Next week is Computer Science Week and it's a great time to introduce coding and programming to your students.  Code.org is recruiting classrooms around the country to participate in an hour of coding next week with their Hour of Code.    Check out the great programs, computer science statistics, and lessons for teachers to use on this site.  There are also some great apps for the iPads to introduce students to the concept of programming.

Kodable  
Free app that would be great for introducing students of any age to the basics of programming with drag and drop features.  No reading required, collect cute little fuzz ball characters, and work through the first section with over 35 levels to master.  Purchase additional levels for $1.99 or go Pro with the app for $6.99.  




Daisy the Dinosaur 
Free basic app for beginning elementary coders.  Students must be able to read to follow the instructions for the challenges.  Drag and drop format to make Daisy do what is needed. 


Hopscotch
Free app based on MIT's Scratch program.  This is also drag and drop with a great free play atmosphere allowing students to program their characters to move, draw lines, add words, and respond to movements of the iPad.  One of the top rated apps, and a great way to allow students to create!




Light-Bot, Lite (Free), Hour of Code(Free)
There are three versions of this app, for the Hour of Code there are 18 different challenges for the students.    There is an additional lite version of the app as well as a pro version available. 



Have students work together to problem solve and achieve a common goal, helping the grow in their problem solving skills, collaboration, and perseverance.  You may have the next great computer programmer in your room right now!

Jan Cuny
Program Officer, National Science Foundation
All of today’s kids will need—along with reading, writing, and arithmetic—a basic understanding of computation and the role that it plays across a wide range of disciplines. Coding is engaging and empowering. It’s a necessary 21st Century skill.
(from Code.org)



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