Coding Club: Day 2

Two boys seeming to enjoy themselves

The coding club met for the second time yesterday. This time I took photos. Most kids went on Codecademy and continued where they left off the week before, and some kids went on Scratch. Scratch they learned with Mr. F. in technology class and they love it! I can see where it is a lot more fun than Codecademy because it's like a game and you can program the characters any way you like - make them certain colors, make them run around, make them talk, give them speech bubles, etc. Codecademy is not like that. You do lessons and you have to read the instructions. I can see where kids are having trouble though. It is because they are not reading the instructions. So I help them with their code and I tell them what they are doing wrong, but I don't think that is helpful. I have to model reading the instructions for them and with them. I also have to get farther in the lessons myself.

Three girls coding after school

This week I had just a few fewer kids than last week so I had enough laptops to go around. I had exactly 20 kids for exactly 20 laptops. The four MacBooks that I have are still the favorite. I would have loved to buy more of them but they are almost $500. more expensive than the Windows machines. Still, I hope to buy more of them in the future. They are a big hit and the first to go when the club starts.

At least two kids gave up with coding already and decided to use the time to do their homework.  The whole point of the club though is to turn kids on to coding and to expose them to coding and hopefully spark an interest that might develop into a career for them - a lucrative career.

Codecademy: Week 2: Class 5

Screenshot of Code Monster

Fridays I have my best class but most groaned when I told them we were going into the lab to continue to work on Codecademy. Unlike yesterday, I did not show them Code Monster because I felt I might be overloading them with too much information. They asked if they could borrow books and I said yes - for 7 minutes - but then we were going into the lab.

At the end of class I check every single computer to make sure that everyone has logged out. It's a lot of work! Not everyone does and I have to log out for them because otherwise the person who sits at their seat next will jump right in to the lessons where the other person left off and both will end up missing important information. Student 2 will jump into lessons that student 1 has not yet completed and Student 2 might start lessons before they have completed the first lessons. So I am always checking the computers.

As usual, I was asked for the MacBooks so I gave them out only to discover that the wifi was not working. I hope it works again by Tuesday. I don't have any other classes today.

Another screenshot of Code Monster

Most were on Codecademy but I had a few kids who have lost their patience with the program and I don't have anything else up my sleeve except for Code Monster - at least for now. I am just learning this whole process of coding as I go so expect to get better at it as time marches on. I will find out about other free coding programs, teach them to myself, and then teach them to the kids. But when the kids have me ("library" class), a lot of them just want to borrow books. I understand. It seems a waste to have an entire collection of books that they cannot borrow during their "library" time, but I want to teach them coding. This is a challenge. But some kids like it so that's a good thing. I'll hold on to that.

Introducing Code Monster

Today I showed my Thursday 6th graders Code Monster. It might have been overload. I had anticipated that like my other 6th grade classes who were in Week Two of using Codecademy, that they might have fogotten their usernames and passwords that they signed up with. I also thought that they might have found Codecademy not as user-friendly as some other programs made specifically for kids, so I read about Code Monster, tried it a little myself before class, and thought I'd introduce it. Some kids did use it, but I was surprised that most kids went to Codecademy. Code Monster is definitely for kids.

Coding Club: First Day

Whole class working

Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures but it was a success. It turns out I had more students than I had computers. All 20 laptops were used up, all 5 desktop computers, plus the 2 behind the circulation desk. I had the kids go to Codecademy and the 4 CSI students were working diligently on it. The younger kids did well too, but of all the questions I fielded, all of them were from the younger kids. I have got to learn some other programs for the younger kids to use. I don't think it turns out that Codecademy provides enough feedback to keep the kids interested. There are no bells and whistles.

The club started at 3:00 and ended at 4:00. I really thought I would not have that much of a turnout, at least on the first day, but I did - something like 27 students! That's almost an entire class. And like in class, I was running around the room, breaking into a sweat, answering questions. It's okay. If I am exposing kids to something they might not expose themselves to on their own, than that is a good thing.

I applied for another grant to buy two more MacBooks and a computer science collection and I hope I get it. I only have four MacBooks at the moment and the kids really love using the MacBooks.

Codecademy: Week 2: Class 3

Working intently

Today was my Wednesday's class 2nd week in the lab working on Codecademy. As with the other two classes on Monday and Tuesday, I had students who forgot the username and password they signed up with last week. I tell them to write it down, but they don't always listen. Still, most students were on the site and working intently.

I fielded several questions about lessons that I myself have not gotten up to yet so I definitely have to catch up. It is very important to me that I be able to help students with the code and if I don't know it, that is a problem for me. I want the students to feel confident in both me and in their ability to do the program. We still have some glitches, like laptops that don't display the site correctly, but it is easy to exchange one laptop for another since I have 20 of them now.

One other thing that was interesting is that I had one or two students who were on the wrong set of lessons. They went to "Make a Website" and I wanted them to learn "HTML & CSS" first, so I had to redirect them. They were disappointed as they had already done some of the lessons in the "Make a Website" module, but I told them it would not be a duplicate of what they had already done. Turns out "Make a Web site" is much harder than the "HTML & CSS" set of lessons.

Introducing 12th graders to Codecademy

Yesterday, I took out the laptop and projector (and whiteboard on which to project) and I introduced my 12th graders to Codecademy. I walked them through sign up and told them which lesson to go into: HTML & CSS, and I told them to read what was on the screen, do what the instructions said, and to "Save and submit" code when they were done, and to continue at their own pace to do the lessons - one after the other. One young woman's laptop was not letting her in so I gave her another laptop. When I walked around the room, everyone was doing the lessons. I told them to copy and paste their code into their wikis, but I have about 7 new students who don't have wikis yet, and I'm not sure that is feasible. I just want to keep track of who is doing the lessons. Another young woman asked me if she could do this for homework and of course I said yes and was thrilled that she would have an interest.

I had already introduced my 12th graders to HTML last term but I have approximately 7 new students who have no idea what code is and would be behind. So everyone is starting at the beginning by doing the lessons in Codecademy. For most, it will be a re-introduction. But it won't be enough for the class. I will most definitely have to create a template for them to do their own Web site and embed their own research into the site. I'm sure the students will need this kind of scaffolding. Creating your own Web site with code you've never used before can't be that easy. Maybe for some students, but I'm sure some will need the assistance. That will be a project for me over the mid-winter break. I also have to create a lesson plan for my students since I will be out on the 23rd. This class meets every Tuesday and Thursday, whereas I see 6th graders every day.

I also gave my 12th graders their first HTML quiz yesterday. There were 15 questions and the lowest score was a 7 and the highest score was a 13. The kids moaned about it because we've had a week and a half since our last HTML class and they claimed to have forgotten the material since, but I was going to do this quiz on the last day of school but because of the snow, a lot of kids did not show so I decided against giving the quiz. So I had new students yesterday and I excused them from the quiz.

I figure I will be giving out quizzes either every week or every other week. We'll see as the semester moves on.

Codecademy: Week 2: Class 2

Two boys coding

Much better day today. Much better class. Although some groaned at the idea of going into the lab (because they'd rather borrow books during "library class"), I took them into the lab and most all of them got started back on Codecademy. As predicted, like yesterday, some forgot the username and/or the password they used to sign up with last Tuesday so I had one or two students working on trying to get into the program during most of the class. That was a bummer. I had one student though who told me he LOVES Codecademy and that was gratifying. He has gotten pretty far into the lessons, but he does ask me for help and I am so happy to know enough code to be able to help my students.

One boy using MIT's Scratch program

Some students though said they don't like Codecademy so I let them go on Scratch from MIT. It is also a coding program and I understand its appeal to 6th grade boys. They learned about it in their technology class and they love it so I let them use it today. I will probably let them use it in the future as well. But except for those 6 boys, and the 1 girl who could not get in with her username and password, everyone was using Codecademy.

Unlike yesterday. I wasn't running around the room like a crazy woman. Everyone was working and I was needed only when they had questions about not passing a lesson. In this case, I checked their code and told them where the mistakes were. I have to get further in the modules myself in order to be able to continue to help the students. Large learning curve here. I've taught myself a lot of HTML but I need to  get further into the lessons and into the books.

6 boys doing Scratch

Today, I will also be introducing my 12th graders to Codecademy for the first time. I've had them use the teacher-made sheets that I've handed out, but I am hoping they like Codecademy better. That's the goal. I have no idea how much they actually learned from the sheets I made and that they copied into Editra, but today I will give my first HTML quiz and see how they do. I was going to give this quiz last Monday, on the last day of the term, but more than half of my students did not show because of the snow and I did not want them to fail, so I am giving the quiz today. I have four new students who I will excuse from the quiz, and four students who have been taken out of the class. The goal is simply that I can teach my students enough HTML that they can make a very basic Web site. In thinking about this I also realize that I will need to type up a template for them for how to make one so that they can follow it. Right now, it seems to be difficult to expect them to start memorizing the HTML tags. The goal is that they will over time. I will also gauge their learning by maybe weekly quizzes. The other thing is that I only see them twice a week now so not as much. I hope we can accomplish as much seeing each two times a week as opposed to the three times a week I saw them last term.

3 boys on the laptops

Also, tomorrow starts the coding club that is being paid for with the INNOVATION! grant. I know I already have a good handful of students who've told me they are coming so that is good. Permission slips went out to the Marsh kids and Mr. Canale has made the announcements to the CSI students. I now just have to get announcements made at McCown. I sent an email to the principal and AP but never heard back from them.

Week two using Codecademy

Six girls coding in the lab

Two boys coding

Today I had a rough class - and lots of technical difficulties. I am going to have to come up with an alternative program for the students to use instead of Codecademy because Codecademy sort of pooped out on us during class. Most kids were working, but as I expected, some kids either forgot or lost their usernames and passwords after signing up last week. I told them to write it down, but not all did that.

As for the technical difficulties, we have 10 really old Macs and thank God for the laptops that came with the grant. I am able to hand out laptops for those with computers that do not work.

You can see from the photos that most of the students were working, but I fielded a lot of questions from those whose computers pooped out on them, or those for whom Codecademy pooped out.

Overall, I am pleased to see the majority working in the program and reading the instructions independently. But I think Codecademy might not be as child-friendly as it could be and I'm on a search for a better program. I know the kids use Scratch from MIT in their technology class and love it. I'll let them use Scratch if they want to, but I'd like to find another program for them to use. Next Monday there is no school so I have until after the February break to find another program - and one that is more kid-friendly. I applaud though those kids who are using Codecademy and working through the lessons. I hope they find it rewarding.