Get 500 Free Books on Coding

February 27, 2015
Coding is one of the most demanded skills in the 21st century learning. There is a growing need for teaching students the fundamentals of coding and computer programming not only because these are the skills needed for the future job market but also because coding allows learners to better understand their digitally focused life and therefore enhance their interaction with digital media.

We have already featured a plethora of interesting resources, apps, and tools  that teachers and parents can draw on to introduce coding to their kids  and today we are sharing with you another important resource we learned from Life Hacker. The popular GitHub has compiled this excellent list comprising more than 500 free books on programming and coding. The books cover different  topics from programming languages to software architecture.

We thought you might want to have a browse through this list and see if anything grabs your eye. Enjoy

Photo by Johan Sonin

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Excellent Free Resources from Google to Teach Kids Coding and Computer Science

February 23, 2015
Google Computer Science First is a free program launched by Google in 2013 to help students enhance their computer science education through a variety of after-school, in-school, and summer programs. All clubs are run by teachers and volunteers. The materials provided by Google CS First are free and available online and each of these materials include lesson plans to help you use them with your students.  These materials include:

1- Music and Sound

Play musical notes, create a music video, and build an interactive music display. Learn how programming is used to create music. Check out lesson plans.

2- Fashion and Design

Learn how computer science and technology are used in the fashion industry while building fashion-themed programs, like: a fashion walk, a stylist tool, and a pattern maker. Check out lesson plans.

3- Storytelling

Use computer science to tell fun and interactive stories. Storytelling emphasizes creativity, with club members telling a unique story each day. Check out lesson plans.

4- Art

Create animations, interactive artwork, photograph filters, and other exciting, artistic projects. Check out lesson plans.

5- Friends

Create projects for a friend! Students are encouraged to sign up with a friend or make a new friend in the club! Projects include things like: telling the story of how the friendship started, making a cooperative game and imagining a company together. Check out lesson plans.

6- Game Design

Learn basic video game coding concepts by making different types of games, like: racing, platform, launching and more! Check out lesson plans.

No computer science experience is necessary to host or volunteer. CS First provides all the training and materials you need to successfully run and lead a CS First club. All training and materials are free and available online. If you are hosting a club in the United States, you can also request materials at no cost to you. Click here to get started.

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Tynker- Teach Kids Coding Through Puzzles and Interactive Games

February 15, 2015
Yesterday when posted about Code Blast, which is a coding app for iPad, somebody requested an app that could do the same but on Android.Of course there are several titles out there but the one I would recommend the most is Tynker. This is basically a visual programming language designed to assist kids learn how to program and code by soling puzzles, building interactive apps and games. Tynker works both on Android and iPad.

Some of the interesting features Tynker provides  include:

• Learn coding by solving over 200 puzzles
• Design and create interactive games and animations
• Offline access
• Create classrooms with multiple students accounts
• Monitor students progress
• Create and publish a class showcase with best student projects

Google Kickstarter Guides has this wonderful guide explaining in-depth how you can use this app in your classrooms.

Watch the video below to learn more about Tynker

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

This Is Why Students Need to Learn Coding

January, 2015
Coding is becoming one of the essential literacies in the 21st century education. There is a growing demand now for teaching students how to code. In his wonderful TED talk titled "Let's teach kids to code", Scientist Mitch Resnick made this beautiful analogy :

When kids learn to code , it enables them to learn many other things, opens up many new opportunities for learning. It's useful to make an analogy to reading and writing, when you learn to read and write it opens up opportunities for you to learn so many other things, when you learn to read you can then read to learn, which is the same thing with coding, if you learn to code you can code to learn. 

To further highlight the importance of teaching kids coding skills, I am sharing with you this beautiful visual titled" Rise of Coding". The visual features some interesting facts and information on  why coding is essential in our digital era.


Source: Online College.  Courtesy of : elearning infographics




 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

4 Powerful Tools from Google to Teach Kids Coding

January, 2015
Coding is becoming one of the essential literacies in the 21st century education. There is a growing demand now for teaching students how to code. In his wonderful TED talk titled "Let's teach kids to code", Scientist Mitch Resnick made this beautiful analogy :

When kids learn to code , it enables them to learn many other things, opens up many new opportunities for learning. It's useful to make an analogy to reading and writing, when you learn to read and write it opens up opportunities for you to learn so many other things, when you learn to read you can then read to learn, which is the same thing with coding, if you learn to code you can code to learn.

Coding helps kids develop a variety of skills. Some of these skills include:

• It helps kids learn in meaningful context
• It teaches them that learning is a process and not a product
• It teaches them how to take complex ideas and break them down into simpler parts
• It teaches them how to collaborate with others 
• It also teaches them how to keep persistent and persevere in the face of frustration when things are not working well
• it teaches determination and risk-taking
• It helps them become fluent with technologies and enable them to open open up and express their ideas.
• It helps them be creative 
• It helps them interact with the world around them

There are several web tools and mobile apps that teachers and parents can use  to teach their kids coding. I have already covered some of the major ones in previous posts. Today, I am sharing with you another list of powerful coding tools but this time all of these tools are from Google for Education.

1- Code Gym

A Google-supported open source coding laboratory using drawing, music and creative fiction to introduce coding concepts

2-Blockly

Shaped-based coding environment introducing young programmers to fundamental coding concepts and challenges.

3-Made with Code

Coding is the new literacy - it carries the potential to create, to innovate, and quite literally change the world. This initiative is designed to inspire millions of girls to experience the power of code.

4- MIT App Inventor

Create your own Android app with this easy to use tool! Learn how to program with a drag and drop interface appropriate for middle school and up.

Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Great Coding and 3D Design Apps Are now Free

November 2, 2014
Autodesk has some very good news to you today. in a statement released earlier, Autodesk announced that it is providing its suite of apps for free for students and teachers  from all around the world. Of course the use of these apps is restricted to only educational purposes and not commercial.

Now both teachers and students will be able to access and use Autodesk's powerful coding and design making apps for free. According to Autodesk, more than 680 million students and educators from over 800,000 secondary and post-secondary schools in 188 countries can take advantage of free access to Autodesk�s professional software and services for use in classrooms, labs, and at home.

Some of the popular apps that students can now use for free to create 3D designs, games, movies, buildings, and many more are :

1- 3ds Max
3D modeling software for games, film, and video content.

2- AutoCad
CAD design, drafting, modeling, drawing, and engineering software.

3- Fusion 360 Ultimate
Integrated tool for collaborative product development.

4- Maya
Innovative tools for 3D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering.

5- Inventor Professional
3D mechanical CAD, visualization, and documentation software.

Check out the education community in Autodesk to learn more about the free software to use with students.

Courtesy of TNW.

 Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .

Two Basic iPad Apps for Teaching Coding to Kids

November 2, 2014
I got an email today from a teacher asking for some basic iPad coding apps to recommend to her kids. Actually I have already reviewed several coding apps in the past but for something to start with I would suggest the two titles below.  Check them out and let us know what you think of them.

1- Daisy The Dinosaur

Learn the basics of computer programming with Daisy the Dinosaur! This free, fun app has an easy drag and drop interface that kids of all ages can use to animate Daisy to dance across the screen. Kids will intuitively grasp the basics of objects, sequencing, loops and events by solving this app's challenges. After playing Daisy, kids can choose to download a kit to program their own computer game.
2- Hopscotch: Coding for Kids

Hopscotch is programming designed for everyone. Kids can use simple, intuitive building blocks to create games, animations and apps in this colorful, interactive environment. Program your characters to move, draw, and collide with each other, and use shaking, tilting, or even shouting at the iPad to control them.

Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook , Google plus, Pinterest .