Rockstar coders! In grade 1

January was focused on Computer Science and introducing my students to Coding through the \websites Code.org.  Some of my students in grade on really got into it!  I had one girl in grade one complete the entire unit that I was doing with her class and write over 800 lines of code!

One of the thing I like best about course 1 was that is used ordinal directions, so it brought in some geography skills. It also built the skills slowly as each level presented a new kind of challenge.  I particularly liked stage 11 where the kids were spelling words!

Stage 11 spelling words!

Getting artistic!

Another budding digital artist!

Working with ordinal directions!

Creating digital art through coding!

Drawing a castle!

More with KidPix

Lesson #2 for my Kindergarten students added the use of the Paint brush, dropper, spray paint and buckets. The students could also use the tools from last class (pencil, chalk, crayon and marker). They had great fun and some actually created some cool art work!

Having fun using the paint brush tool!

Using the pray paint tool!

Getting funky and creative!

I think they really enjoyed how the spray paint could spray out shapes!

MinecraftEDU club

On Wednesday January 28, Mr. Edwin and Mr. Tomas launched the first ever MinecraftEDU club at AIS Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with 15 students a mix of boys and girls from grade 3, 4 and 5.  Only one of the students was brand new to Minecraft others have varying level of experience.  The grade 5 students have been using MinecraftEDU in their classes since the end of first semester so they were the most familiar with the EDU version.

Getting logged in!

Getting logged in!

Logging in!

logging in.

adding the server.

signing on to the server.

waiting to start.

Whose ready to start!

Off they go!

Racing around to get warmed up!

Explore!

Having too much fun!

Frozen and waiting for directions.

After a short warm up students were frozen by their teachers and given introduction to their first team challenge, the Island Challenge. "This scenario is a challenge that divides students into teams to build a bridge to transport two cows from one island to another." 

The full description of this lesson as found on the MinecraftEDU resources is, "This scenario is a stand alone lesson that helps students to build and work together to meet a challenge.  Please note that you might need to spawn additional cows as sometimes the cows decide to leave the island.  This scenario was designed by Max Kassel for our after-school program and our students loved it.  Students were able to do this challenge in less than an hour.  Be prepared for a lot of talking among teams!"

Helping each other switch to the challenge area.

relogging into the server.

Waiting to start the team challenge

Still waiting.

Everyone is stacked onto of each-other.

"I see Mr. Edwin!"

Frozen on our islands waiting to hear what our challenge is.

Making a plan!

Working as a team to make a bridge.

Some teams made very quick progress on their bridges.

building a bridge to get off the island

Time to wrangle some cows and get them across the bridge!

"Get back her you silly cow."

"That's a good cow."

Coding with Grade 2

Like with my grade 1 students I am using Code.org's website and course to help introduce my second graders to Computer Science.  Only with my grade 2 students I am using course two. I also encourage them to help each other by point out steps or coding errors on the screen.  My students are instructed no to touch another person's mouse or keyboard, that when they are helping one another they should at as a navigator not a driver.

Using Blockly to create puzzle codes with Angry Birds!

Future Computer Scientists in the making?

Blockly coding.

They are all very focused!

Navigating through a tough code with the help of a friend!

Navigating through a tough code with the help of a friend!

The codes are getting longer and more complex.

Remembering to read the hints and directions is always helpful!

Kid Pix with Kindergarteners

For second semester I decided that since many of my kindergarten students English language skills were growing and their comfort level on the computers was growing it was time for a more structured lesson with hopefully gradable for they could bring back to class and give to their teachers to assess them.

I decided a slow approach would be best and decided to start student with just a few tools the first class.  I showed them the chalk, pencil, crayon and marker the first class as well as the color pallet.  I showed them how to change the diameter of the tool they were using as well as how to change the kind of like they drew, straight curved or squiggly.  Finally I showed them the shape options for these tools.  Then they set off to log into KidPix and start drawing.  As they created their digital masterpieces I went around and walked each student through how to save their works and where to save them.  I figure that this will be a task we have to do over and over many times before any of them start to approach an independent level.

Most of the students did a great job exploring and sticking to the tools they were shown.  I find that there are always a few, typically the students with the least amount of English who struggle and try to do things that were not part of the assigned task.

Computers are almost ready to go.

Getting the computers ready to go for the kids for the first lesson.

Getting started!

learning to log in.

Some of us logged in without help, other struggled a bit.

Drawings done by the kindergarten students.

Learning to save.

Creating line drawings.

Some students got very creative!

Saving our work!