This week, during Computer Science Education Week, we celebrate the Hour of Code. I challenge you to try something new: step out of your comfort zone and play a simple game. Drag and drop commands to guide an Angry Bird through a maze, help a monkey get his banana, or make a cat dance. Browse the lists below for more options (all web based, all free). Think about how these tools can work in your classroom -- not just the computer lab. Think of coding as just another communication tool. What ideas are your students struggling to share?
For elementary students, or beginners with a lighter interest:
For olders students, or those with a more serious interest:
- Elsa from Frozen! (code.org)
- Angry Birds, Zombies, and Scrat (code.org)
- Flappy Bird! (code.org)
- BrainPop Code Monkey (BrainPop)
- Scratch the cat (Scratch)
- Made with Code: Program the Christmas tree lights outside the Whitehouse.
For olders students, or those with a more serious interest:
- CodeAcademy: Learn to code JavaScript, Python, HTML/CSS, JQuery, and more using these self-paced modules.
- Mozilla Thimble: Learn HTML through experimentation.
- Crunchzilla's Code Maven: Learn the basics of Javascript coding.
- Google Code University: Android, algorithms, Google API, Java, Python, and more.
- Program Arcade Games, Learn Computer Science: In textbook style format, this site will help you learn Python.