Does your school participate in the Hour of Code each December? Looking to integrate computer science into the school day all year long? Here are a handful of my favorite resources for computer science and coding. Teachers who are ready to jump into the Hour of Code or looking for inspiration as they design a new curriculum will find lots to choose from on this list. If you have a favorite listed here or one you think should be added to the list, share your story in the comments at the bottom of the post.
- Hour of Code‘s website is a great place to get started if you want to learn about this event.
- Code.org’s YouTube channel has lots of videos to explore.
- 4 Terrific Tips for Teachers New to Coding will help you get started with coding and shows how Pythonroom can be used with students.
- 5 Ways to Maximize Hour of Code gives tips for educators who want to make the most of this special week.
- Coda Game is a coding app for iPads that gives students the power to create their own games with visual code blocks.
- Kids’n’Code is an app for iPads where students solve puzzles as they learn about coding by identifying patterns and working their way through different problems.
- Coding Games in Scratch is a book for children with little to no coding experience.
- Daisy the Dinosaur (opens in new tab) lets young students get started exploring coding on iPads.
- Hopscotch is a terrific app that lets students complete challenges and design their own games.
- Khan Academy has a handful of videos that can help students explore computer programming at different levels.
- How-To Start a Coding Club (opens in new tab) shares tips for using Codeacademy in after school programs.
- Resources for Parents can help bridge the gap between what is happening in school and what’s going on at home.
- Coding Tutorials 360 has a YouTube channel full of videos for students looking for answers to their coding questions.
- Repl.it Classroom is targeted at skilled high school or higher-ed computer science teachers that are able to create their own coding curriculum and automatic grading programs.
- Pythonroom is a fantastic online platform for teachers who want to bring coding into the classroom but don’t know how to code.
- Coding in the Common Core shows the connections between the national standards and computer science education.
- StudioWeb is an online educational resource designed for educators so they can easily access video training courses on computer literacy.
- Scratch from MIT is a web resource with tons of options for children to explore.
- Swifty is an iOS app that includes quick tutorials to introduce users to the Swift programing language.
- Kodable introduces basic programming skills to students as it pushes them to problem solve and work through different levels.
- Coding for Kindergarteners shares tips for introducing coding to the youngest students in your school.
- Tynker is a fantastic tool for educators that makes computer programming fun for students in grades 3-8.
- 9 Reasons to Try Repl.it Classroom Coding Curriculum provides information on this fantastic coding program.
- Life After the Hour of Code shows you how to extend this special week of coding to everyday school programming.
BONUS: Check out Swift Playgrounds (opens in new tab) and Apple’s special resources!
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cross posted at classtechtips.com
Monica Burns is a fifth grade teacher in a 1:1 iPad classroom. Visit her website at classtechtips.com for creative education technology tips and technology lesson plans aligned to the Common Core Standards.