Coding ... seeing students through a different lens
The colleagues I work with know that I like to try new things and expose students to a variety of ideas and topics. A couple years ago, I read on Twitter about Hour of Code. I had no idea what it was, so I did a little research. I found the website www.code.org and all the resources it offered. I switched gears, moved my lessons around and decided to attempt Hour of Code with my students. The students loved it and I appreciated what it taught students, as they "played" a game on the computer. There are lots of resources to teach Hour of Code at the elementary level. I have found two short videos on Brainpop and BrainpopJr. that have worked very well as an introduction for the students. The upper elementary students like the Minecraft coding activities at www.code.org, and the younger students enjoy Angry Birds at this site, or activities at Kodable.com. While the students might relate this experience to playing a video game, the activity is much more than that. St