Before WoW Club

Before WoW Club began, the TLED 430W consisted of the education students getting familiar with the hummingbird kits and coding. For one of our first assignments, we worked in Scratch. We coded each letter in our name to do something different (check out the “Animate Your Name” button below). We created two different projects with the kits before teaching our 5th graders how to code their own Jitterbugs and dog. First, we created a narrative video, which helped us learn how to use a green screen and film and edit videos on WeVideo. Second, we created a paper plate people and jitterbugs using our hummingbird kits. We utilized our training in WeVideo to create a progression video from what we learned from our first assignment, which was the paper plate assignment, to the jitterbug (check out the progression video linked below).

*Click all of the letters in the Animate Your Name”!!*

WoW Club

Wow Club is an after-school activity for students in 5th grade that allows them an opportunity to work hummingbird kits and learn new technology. Two 5th students were assigned with one education and two engineering major students from Old Dominion University. By the end of WoW club, each group was tasked to build a dog and create a code that mimics one of a dog’s actions. However, before we actually built and coded for the dog, we had smaller assignments, like the Jitterbug (seen below), which introduced the 5th grade students to the hummingbird kits and coding. At the end, the groups present their dog and shark tank pitch to their families to show off their hard work during WoW Club. For two sessions after we created our dog, the students got to play around with the Spheros. Overall, I enjoyed my time in WoW Club. My 5th grade students have helped me become a better educator, and I am super proud of the work that they’ve accomplished over these past few weeks. Fallon and Miles both flourished since the beginning of WoW Club and you can see that effort in their work.

This was my 5th grade students first time coding anything. They both were extremely nervous, but as time went on and they started to get a hang on what the commands do and used that to make their vision come to life. They were super excited to show their parents what they had coded.

My students created a dog that shakes you hand when you put your hand in front of his head. They named the dog Spot. I can see their growth from coding the Jitterbugs to coding the dog. I am super proud of how the dog turned out, and it was a plus that both of them were very committed to their dog.

Coding in My Future Classroom

Coding is something that I do plan on using in my future classroom. There are many benefits that I’ve seen within my students as well as myself due to coding. It teaches skills such as patience, determination, and problem solving. Since I will be working with younger students, I think programs like Scratch and Lightbot are good coding programs. These websites are tailored towards helping younger children learn to code. This is a great activity for both independent and group work, and I love the idea of my students collaborating to solve a problem.