Today we began Coding using Scratch.
Coding is a really amazing thing for our wee ones to be learning.
I have a strong belief that all of our children need to learn to code as they world they will live in in the future will depend upon this skill. Room 14 have seen me work with Coding Club Kids all year and have asked many questions about what we do so I decided it was time for them to learn too!
We are aiming to participate in the Hour of Code later in the year too.
Many parents haven't tried coding yet - it is a great opportunity for your child to be the teacher and share this skill and knowledge with you.
We are using web based Scratch to begin our coding journey. Today we had our first session. I was so proud of our wee class who were focused, keen to learn and FAST to learn! They worked with a buddy and followed step by step instructions to set their laptop up to begin with. Beyond this they experimented and explored within Scratch today. We will be having more time tomorrow to use Scratch and develop our skills. Tomorrow we will be working on a project too create a scene.
You can login to our scratch account any time to see (or work on) projects
Our user name is STARoom14 .... your child can share the password with you (or you will find it in the email I sent last week).
If you have any questions about coding please feel free to ask. If you are a bit of an expert willing to share some knowledge with us I would LOVE that - please let me know!
Check out these amazing children working so hard - about the only sound in the room was the Scratch Cat meowing! I love the cooperation, problem solving and persevering the children showed today, such a credit to them.
Thanks to the rest of the Year Two Team for letting us borrow their class laptops today too. We are going to be teaching the other children and teachers in our team how to code over the next few weeks.
This is an extract from an article that explains some of the reasons I am so excited and passionate about teaching our kids coding.
Coding (also called programming or developing) is telling a computer, app, phone or website what you want it to do. Some educators and experts are calling it the ‘new literacy’—a subject so important that every child needs to know the basics to excel in our rapidly changing world.
Four- and five-year-olds can learn the foundations of coding and computer commands before they can even write and spell words. Older kids can learn to code through classes, mentors and online tutorials (see below for learn-to-code resources for all ages).
Learning to code prepares kids for the world we live in today. There are tons of jobs and occupations that use code directly, like web designers, software developers and robotics engineers, and even more where knowing how to code is a huge asset—jobs in manufacturing, nanotechnology or information sciences.
Understanding Code Helps Explain The WorldToday, computing is involved in almost all aspects of our lives, from communications and education to social media, banking, information, security and shopping. Networked computers are capable of controlling our homes’ thermostats and lighting, our cars and our health records.
If grade-schoolers are taught biology and mathematics in order to understand the world around them, then knowing the basics of how computers communicate—and how to engage with them—should be a given.
Learning To Code Develops Problem Solving And Computational Thinking SkillsThe skills that come with computer programming help kids develop new ways of thinking and foster problem-solving techniques that can have big repercussions in other areas.
Computational thinking allows preschoolers to grasp concepts like algorithms, recursion and heuristics—even if they don’t understand the terms, they’ll learn the basic concepts (and for parents who don’t understand these terms, this article from Mother Jones explains the basics of computational thinking by comparing it to following a recipe for dinner).
Coding Is Fun!Beyond the practical reasons for learning how to code, there’s the fact that creating a game or animation can be really fun for kids.
Coding is a really amazing thing for our wee ones to be learning.
I have a strong belief that all of our children need to learn to code as they world they will live in in the future will depend upon this skill. Room 14 have seen me work with Coding Club Kids all year and have asked many questions about what we do so I decided it was time for them to learn too!
We are aiming to participate in the Hour of Code later in the year too.
Many parents haven't tried coding yet - it is a great opportunity for your child to be the teacher and share this skill and knowledge with you.
We are using web based Scratch to begin our coding journey. Today we had our first session. I was so proud of our wee class who were focused, keen to learn and FAST to learn! They worked with a buddy and followed step by step instructions to set their laptop up to begin with. Beyond this they experimented and explored within Scratch today. We will be having more time tomorrow to use Scratch and develop our skills. Tomorrow we will be working on a project too create a scene.
You can login to our scratch account any time to see (or work on) projects
Our user name is STARoom14 .... your child can share the password with you (or you will find it in the email I sent last week).
If you have any questions about coding please feel free to ask. If you are a bit of an expert willing to share some knowledge with us I would LOVE that - please let me know!
Check out these amazing children working so hard - about the only sound in the room was the Scratch Cat meowing! I love the cooperation, problem solving and persevering the children showed today, such a credit to them.
Thanks to the rest of the Year Two Team for letting us borrow their class laptops today too. We are going to be teaching the other children and teachers in our team how to code over the next few weeks.
This is an extract from an article that explains some of the reasons I am so excited and passionate about teaching our kids coding.
Coding (also called programming or developing) is telling a computer, app, phone or website what you want it to do. Some educators and experts are calling it the ‘new literacy’—a subject so important that every child needs to know the basics to excel in our rapidly changing world.
Four- and five-year-olds can learn the foundations of coding and computer commands before they can even write and spell words. Older kids can learn to code through classes, mentors and online tutorials (see below for learn-to-code resources for all ages).
Learning to code prepares kids for the world we live in today. There are tons of jobs and occupations that use code directly, like web designers, software developers and robotics engineers, and even more where knowing how to code is a huge asset—jobs in manufacturing, nanotechnology or information sciences.
Understanding Code Helps Explain The WorldToday, computing is involved in almost all aspects of our lives, from communications and education to social media, banking, information, security and shopping. Networked computers are capable of controlling our homes’ thermostats and lighting, our cars and our health records.
If grade-schoolers are taught biology and mathematics in order to understand the world around them, then knowing the basics of how computers communicate—and how to engage with them—should be a given.
Learning To Code Develops Problem Solving And Computational Thinking SkillsThe skills that come with computer programming help kids develop new ways of thinking and foster problem-solving techniques that can have big repercussions in other areas.
Computational thinking allows preschoolers to grasp concepts like algorithms, recursion and heuristics—even if they don’t understand the terms, they’ll learn the basic concepts (and for parents who don’t understand these terms, this article from Mother Jones explains the basics of computational thinking by comparing it to following a recipe for dinner).
Coding Is Fun!Beyond the practical reasons for learning how to code, there’s the fact that creating a game or animation can be really fun for kids.