The controls and characters are not as extensive as Scratch and Tynker, but Hopscotch is a great tool to begin helping students without coding experience learn the basics of programming, logical thinking and problem solving. Hopscotch looks a lot like Scratch and Tynker and uses similar controls to drag blocks into a workspace, but it only runs on the iPad.
A free play "compose" mode lets students move the turtle however they want. Each new level of achievement increases in difficulty and teaches a new command that directs the turtle to reach a star, make a sound, draw a line, etc. The main character reminds us of the old Logo turtle used to teach kids computer programming during the reign of the Apple IIe. We love Move the Turtle, a gamified way to learn programming procedures. Lessons are self-paced and simple for students to follow without assistance. The app features starter lesson plans, classroom management tools, and an online showcase of student-created programs. But while Scratch was designed to program, Tynker was built to teach programming.
You don't have to be a programming expert to introduce Scratch - we learned right along with the students! TynkerĬost: Free! (with Premium upgrade option)Īlthough Tynker is relatively new, we definitely count it as one of our favorite coding apps. Teaching guides, communities and other resources available on the website will help instructors get started. Various types of bricks trigger loops, create variables, initiate interactivity, play sounds, and more. Students use a visual programming language made up of bricks that they drag to the workspace to animate sprites. Originally a multi-platform download, Scratch is now web-based and more accessible. Scratchĭesigned by MIT students and staff in 2003, Scratch is one of the first programming languages we've seen that is created specifically for 8-to-16-year-olds. An app embedded within Edmodo makes logins easy for students. The site integrates critical thinking and problem-solving tasks. Your students will love completing different self-paced quests while learning to build game levels. GameStar Mechanic teaches kids, ages 7-14, to design their own video games. We've used many of them with elementary-aged students. In no particular order, we have listed all the coding apps that are appropriate for young learners. Best of all, many of these tools are free, or almost free, and require no coding background or expertise! The following sites and apps can help anyone who has basic reading skills grasp the basics of thinking and planning in order to make things happen (the whole purpose of coding) and create applications: interactive games, quizzes, animations, etc. If you're concerned that that a) elementary school students don't have the ability to code, b) there's no room in the curriculum, and c) you don't possess coding chops to teach programming skills, throw out those worries. Not any more! The newest pint-sized coders have just begun elementary school. Programming is not just the province of pale twenty-somethings in skinny jeans, hunched over three monitors, swigging Red Bull.
Everything that "just works" has some type of code that makes it run. It's hard to imagine a single career that doesn't have a need for someone who can code.