Nationally, 9 in 10 parents want their children to learn computer science (CS) but only a quarter of principals report offering CS with programming in their schools. Source: Google for Education: Accelerating CS Education in Local Communities: The Stats by State Computer Science is the study of what computers can do. Programming may be a…
By promoting “pop computing” apps to kids in schools, we aren’t doing the hard thinking that defines what the subject of computing is today, and most importantly, what it can be in the future. A new approach to learning mass computing is needed to get 55 million students in 130,000 public schools to learn to…
Scratch Blocks brings together two different programming “grammars” that we have designed over the past decade. The standard Scratch grammar uses blocks that snap together vertically, much like LEGO bricks. For our ScratchJr software, intended for younger children, we developed blocks that are labelled with icons rather than words, and snap together horizontally rather than…
Scratch is a great introduction to programming. By using code blocks, students and staff can quickly assemble a working program. But, the limitations of Scratch become more and more apparent as you try to create more sophisticated programs. That’s where Pico-8 from Lexaloffle comes in. Pico-8 – the programmable virtual game console The Pico-8 is a…
Computer coding coming soon to Nova Scotia curriculum Nova Scotia hopes to incorporate computer coding into the curriculum next year so that students get more hands-on experience with the technology that makes the modern world work. The province is teaching students from Grade Primary to Grade 3 the basics of computers this year, and the hope is…