Hour of Code 2015

I have been very impressed with https://code.org/

They have 3 new Hour of Code tutorials this year (added to the several from last year).

Star Wars

Ages 6 years +

Reading required

Problem solving type programming

Minecraft

Ages 6 years +

Reading required

Problem solving type programming

Disney Infinity Lab

Upper grades

Reading required

create a game, open-ended lesson

I prefer a close-ended maze/problem solving type of activity for Hour of Code.

Last Years Tutorials

Primary

The Foos

- no reading is required

- perfect for younger students

- no left/right knowledge required

- teacher curriculum is provided

- available on tablet for use at home

Angry Birds

My favorite tutorial for 2nd grade and up.  Although this means many of the students have already seen/used this tool.

LightBot

- no reading required

- great introductory programming

- some students have difficulty with reversing the left/right in their heads

Upper Grades

Scratch

- Click  'TIPS'

- Great for 3rd grade and up

- Open ended activities

- Requires math (like multiplication, angels, etc

- Step-by-step tutorials

Google CS

Google has used Scratch to create a few tutorials with videos and fun activities 

- Not open ended

- How-to videos

- Option to continue work at home

CodeCombat (5th grade and up) 

There is combat and missions and gear to purchase.  You earn experience with flawless programming.  Auto-fill python commands makes this a great bridge for those familiar with block programming and ready for the next challenge.

CodeMonkey  (5th grade and up)

Help the monkey get the banana

-text based coding

Hour of Code is Coming -- December 8th, 2014

Click on the tab above to find current links for the 2014 Hour of Code.

Mission Build Part 1

This year the STEManiacs will have 3 teams. But in an effort to save money we are sharing 2 fields. Today was a sneak peak and we built one of the fields. Here are some pictures of the missions. Any guesses as to what the challenges will be?

This will likely straddle rails between the two fields - switch the latch to video conference.

Playing soccer helps kids learn?

I'm not sure if these loops are supposed to be here or we were just playing around.

Emergency exit!

Is this supposed to hold the ball?

Lots of loops!

Coding Club

Coding Club If you are unsure of what project to start on then spend some time on code.org. Go to code.org and create a login. Your class section is: MRBBBM.

Posters for your STEM classroom

Decorate your classroom or home with STEM friendly posters that teach and inspire.

Find the original image here:

Find original image here:

http://wikibon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/evolution-of-programming.html 


Via: ServicesANGLE

http://csedweek.org/resource_kit/posters 

Find original image here:

Find original image here:

Find original image here:

Competing Against Yourself

This week’s Coach Tip comes from a coach in the Washington, DC area.

“(My team) realized early on that the competition wasn’t really against the other teams: it’s against themselves and their robot. So they never really cared how other teams did, just whether THEY felt that THEY’D done their best. Essentially, the FLL Challenge is a mountain that nobody is supposed to climb all the way. Some teams are GT 8th graders with no extracurriculars who live in the same neighborhood and spend many, many hours every day; other teams are full of busy 5th graders who meet once a week for an hour and everything in between. 

So sure, there might be some “keener” team at a tournament clicking off high table scores. But that’s only 25% of the overall evaluation. I’ve seen teams advance to State who did poorly on the table; I’ve seen teams NOT advance who did GREAT on the table.
I have yet to see a team NOT have fun at a tournament. I like to tell the story of having only ever seen ONE kid crying in eleven years of coaching and judging, and there was clearly a lot more going on there than just unhappiness over performance. Compare that to ANY sport your kids have participated in. 

So…worry not. Tell them to do their best, and enjoy the ride. And when they get together this week and complain that “NOTHING IS WORKING AND WE AREN’T READY AND WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO THERE’S NO POINT…” -- deep breath, help them figure out what DOES work, and don’t even let them THINK about not coming. They’ll have a blast!”

I find a lot of truth in this.  The kids are learning to listen to each other.  They are learning the iterative process.  They are learning to fail; something most other sports do not teach with their participation awards.

We will keep on practicing and working on the challenge, the rest of the month and maybe through the spring for some workshops.    The important thing is to not give up, keep on trying, and keep on learning.

STEManiacs Scrimmage Results

Green (Monday) Team

Winner of best robot design

Blue (Sunday) Team

Winner of best research project