Oh dear. This sandbox stressed me out. Coding and 3D printing are so far out of my comfort zone that I was a bit overwhelmed at first. I certainly don’t have “computational thinking skills” as described in the appropriately named article “Don’t Stress About Coding”. I liked the idea of the “Happy Maps” coding exercise. I feel like that’s where I would need to start to understand how algorithms work.
We just got a 3D printer at my school, and I know some of my students are very into it. I can see the benefits of coding and 3D printing, but I feel like I would need an entire course on it to become comfortable. (Is this what happens when you get older?)
I found the youtube video “How Computers Work” to be very helpful when thinking about coding. I spend so much time on computers, but I don’t think a lot about how they work. Putting it in the framework of input, storage, processing, and output helps me to begin to understand it. Again, I think I’d need an entire class on this!
I played around with an hour of code and found some interesting resources. I first tried a game called “COVID-19: Stop the Spread.” (I picked this one because it was marked for second graders.) The built in tutorials and videos were very helpful as I found some of the formatting of coding a bit overwhelming. First, you set the percentage of people that are staying home. This affects the number of people becoming infected. Instructionally, I think this is a great way to get young students to understand the pandemic. I modified that number a couple of times and got different results. The tutorial said sometimes even if you set the number the same, there is a randomness to it, so results may vary. You can also set your own breaking news at the bottom. It’s very easy to change, and students would have a chance to be creative with it. It’s possible to edit more of the game, but the tutorials didn’t go into too much detail at this level, and I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the options, so I didn’t edit much more than the headlines and the number of people staying home.
I decided to try another one and I picked Brainpop’s creative coding about the March on Washington. This one was more visual and a bit easier for me to follow. It walks you through designing a flag, including helpful hints when you get stuck. It was interesting to see the flag being coded line by line, and how small changes could make a dramatic impact on the final image. I was easily frustrated by how tedious the process was, and I wanted to just go old school and design a flag on google slides. This is one of those things that stress me out, but if I tried it with students, I’m sure they would know more and would be able to help teach me. Our school offers coding classes now, and many students sign up and really enjoy the class.
I didn’t play with the 3D printing tools, but I really enjoyed looking at the ideas in the infographic. 3D printing can enrich any curriculum and provides students with the opportunity to be hands on.
References:
Code.org. (2018, January 30). How computers work: What makes a computer, a computer? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCq8-xTH7jA&list=PLzdnOPI1iJNcsRwJhvksEo1tJqjIqWbN-&index=3
Snelling, J. (2018, April 3). Don’t stress about coding: Focus shifts to teaching problem solving not computer skills. School Library Journal. https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=dont-stress-coding-focus-shifts-teaching-problem-solving-not-computer-skills
It can definitely feel tedious and frustrating, especially before you’ve had your first success. It only takes a small win to be encouraging. Maybe that’s they key–making sure they start small enough to not become discouraged before they’re really underway? (Kind of like what Kelly said with those 9th Graders)
For an even simpler introduction to coding (that maybe takes the frustrations of slow networks and faulty keyboards out of the picture, too), there are board and card games that give basic problem solving/design/testing practice that adds up to an understanding of coding.
– AnnaLisa
It sounds like you did well. Technology is very overwhelming. And it’s difficult because just when you think you got it, it changes. I think it’s exciting that students are so engaged and interested. And using these coding activities teaches so much more than just coding like the one you did for COVID. What a great way for students to learn coding and info about COVID.
A few years ago, when we did our first “hour of code” at my school, my 9th graders were not excited about it at all. I was surprised that they complained so much. Now I wonder it was because they didn’t really know how to do it and were nervous to try (because that’s how I felt!)
Our school also offers coding, but only for “gen block” which is a short daily class first thing in the morning. I have seen my students trying to do the BrainPop coding activity, but I have never tried that version myself. I have tried coding and agree that it’s really, really tedious. I always had a hard time creating code.
I do think that coding, in general, can feel tedious if it’s not your strength or something that you’re interested in… It can take so, SO many lines of code to make the most simple things happen. I really like the way they have created a lot of games for younger ones to help entice them along. I wonder if a different game, such as one where you were on adventure, would have engaged you differently? I ask because I wrote about how I think we need to make sure we match the coding game to the student interests to really keep them engaged. I didn’t try out the COVID-19 game, but would like to explore it now after hearing about your experience.