One of my passions is helping students love coding. I love opportunities in the summer to lead camps which allow me to build relationships with students outside my ‘normal’ academic grade level (3rd grade) at Casady School. Last week, I led a camp for rising kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students, called “Adventures in Coding” through our “Casady Summer by The Lake” program. The majority of our camp activities were ‘offline,’ using BeeBot robots.
This Christmas break, my friend Michaela Freeland (@_mfreeland) and I decided to offer a two day, morning robotics camp for students in our lower and middle divisions. We opened registration up to 2nd through 6th grade students, and ended up with 11 students ranging in age from 7 to 11. 9 are girls and 3 are boys. Today was day 1 of our robotics camp, which we’re holding from 9 am to noon. Last summer we co-led two different robotics camps using Thymio Robots from TechyKids. For our winter break camp, we are using Edison Robots.
To provide students with opportunities for extended periods of time to play, explore, and engage in “design challenges “
To develop computational thinking skills
To develop collaboration and problem solving skills
To have fun with friends, learning how coding and robotics can be both challenging and fun!
In third grade my students have been coding using both the iPad apps “PBS Scratch Junior” and “Scratch Junior.” This has helped many of them develop a strong foundation in coding. They have told stories, created animations, and made games. I love the creative ways my students apply the ideas we are learning in Science and STEM class, and represent them through coding in Scratch Junior’s “kid-friendly” block-based environment.
In this 2 minute video, two third graders and one first grader explain how they developed a maze using the “follow a torch/flashlight” and “clap controlled driving” programs.
I am looking forward to seeing what our students will learn and create tomorrow, as we introduce them to the “EdBlocks Programming Language” based on Scratch Junior blocks from MIT. EdBlocks is web-based, so our students will be using iPads and the Safari web browser to create their programs.
This month I’m having several opportunities to lead free technology integration workshops for OETA, our PBS affiliate station in Oklahoma. These workshops focus on how to use the free videos and lesson building tools included on the PBS Learning Media website. (@pbslrnmedia) If you live in or near McAlester, Tulsa, or Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, please join me in the morning on June 8, 9, or 22nd. The registration link to sign up (it’s FREE) is linked from OETA’s education page. The dates and locations for remaining workshops are:
Monday, June 8 – 9:30 am – noon, Tulsa (OETA Office, 535 N. Greenwood Ave., Tulsa, OK 74106)
Tuesday, June 9 – 9:30 am – noon, McAlester (Kiamichi Tech, 1004 State Hwy 2, Wilburton, OK 74578)
Monday, June 22 – 9:30 am – noon, Oklahoma City (OETA Office, 7403 North Kelley OKC, OK 73111)
