Coding – High Tech (Online Sites and Apps)

The following are a list of sites and apps that offer coding education and activities for both teachers and students through an app or within an online environment.

Code BC

home page for CodeBC

Code BC offers a large range of coding resources connected to the BC Curriculum. Resources are searchable by several topic areas and also let the user know if the resource requires a student username and password. There is a description given for each resource listed on the site.

Code.org and Hour of Code

image from code.org

Code.org offers a vast amount of opportunities for both educators and students to develop their coding abilities. The vision of code.org is “that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science, just like biology, chemistry or algebra”. Code.org also “provides the leading curriculum for K-12 computer science in the largest school districts in the United States and Code.org also organizes the annual Hour of Code campaign which has engaged 15% of all students in the world” (“Code.org – Learn computer science. Change the world.”, n.d.). With a teacher-created and managed account, students can work through coding courses from the elementary level up to the high school levels and beyond. Hour of Code is also a great way to get students coding and contains coding resources at various levels that can be used year-round (and many are accessible without a password).

Khan Academy

Khan Academy free course offering topics

Khan Academy is a free, online resource “with the mission to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere” (“Khan Academy”, n.d.). Although noted for its online math lessons, Khan Academy has teaching resources is many subject areas, including computer coding skills. Teachers can create student accounts (or students can create their own) and assign lessons or simply allow students to explore areas of interest. Topics in computing include Computer Programming (including Javascript, HTML, and SQL), Computer Science (including algorithms and cryptography), AP Computer Science Principles , Hour of Code (with Khan Academy), and Computer Animation (Pixar in a Box – a behind-the-scenes look at how Pixar animators do their jobs).

Teach Your Kids Code

The website Teach Your Kids Code has collected information and provided links to the best coding apps and games in the post The 23 Best Programming Apps & Coding Apps for Kids. Each app/game listed comes with a detailed description and notes the cost (although some are free, many of the apps/games listed have a one time or monthly cost). This blog is a great place to visit if you (or your school) are considering purchasing coding apps/games for your students. The list includes:

Coding Apps for Kids 3-10

Coding Apps for Kids 10-13

Coding Apps for 13+

Swift Playgrounds

image from Swift Playgrounds

Swift Playgrounds (although mentioned above) is designed for learning the Swift coding language and deserves a special note. “Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for iPad that makes learning Swift interactive and fun. It requires no coding knowledge, so it’s perfect for students just starting out. Solve puzzles to master the basics using Swift — a powerful programming language created by Apple and used by the pros to build today’s most popular apps. Then take on a series of challenges and step up to more advanced playgrounds designed by Apple and other leading developers”(“Swift Playgrounds – Apple (CA)”, n.d.).

Tynker

image from Tynker

Tynker is another app that gets a lot of mention in our district. Like some of the other coding resources, it offers both a free and subscription courses within its curriculum. Courses include controlling toys, creating apps, exploring minecraft, building websites, building games, and learning coding languages.

Scratch

image of a Scratch Education Guide

Scratch offers a wide range of educator resources including educator guides, lesson plans, management strategies, and activities. Scratch also offers student resources including online tutorials, coding cards, and an ideas page.

“With Scratch, you can program your own interactive stories, games, and animations — and share your creations with others in the online community. Scratch helps young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively — essential skills for life in the 21st century. Scratch is a project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is provided free of charge” (“Scratch – Imagine, Program, Share”, n.d.).

Minecraft Education

image from Minecraft Education

Minecraft Education allows educators to bring coding into the classroom in a creative an interactive way. The In the Classroom page allows a glimpse at how teachers are using Minecraft Education Edition in the classroom and the possibilities for learning.

Kodable.com

a few of the courses offered by Kodable.com

Kodable is an app-based program designed to teach coding skills to students from K-5. “Kodable offers a 42 week scope and sequence or teachers can choose from over 70 lesson plans covering subjects ranging from math and ELA to digital citizenship and JavaScript”(“Programming for Kids | Kodable”, n.d.). This program has a free “kickstart” plan (with no time limit) and school plans that cost $1250 (US) a year.

Code Monkey

CodeMonkey K-8 Curriculum introduction

CodeMonkey “is a fun and educational game-based environment where kids learn to code without any prior experience. After completing CodeMonkey’s award-winning coding courses, kids will be able to navigate through the programming world with a sense of confidence and accomplishment”(“Coding for Kids | Game-Based Programming | CodeMonkey”, n.d.). CodeMonkey is designed for students from K-8, but does have a fee attached to its product. Schools can request a quote to access the resources.

Codecademy

Codecademy course offerings

Code Academy has several courses offered including Web Development (HTML, Javascript), Programming and Computer Science (Python and CMD Line), and Data Science (Python and SQL). Although students can sign up for a free, basic account, there is also the option for a Pro account (for $20 a month) as well as a team account. This site may be geared more towards a high school and college age student or adult wanting to upgrade their coding skills.

Code Club Canada

projects offered through Code Club Canada

Code Club Canada “is a nationwide network of free, volunteer-led coding clubs for children aged 8-12 to build and share their ideas and learning along the way” (“Code Club Canada”, n.d.). Code Club Canada families and educators can connect to coding events and online projects.

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