It’s been awhile since I stepped foot in my bank. With online resources and apps, I don’t even have to go there to deposit my checks. But I didn’t realize banks had increased their lobby services to teaching kids how to code… Okay, not all banks do this. But Barclays, a bank in the UK, … Read more
“That’s it?! But that’s so little!” one of my students said, incredulously, when I showed him the Raspberry Pi. I nodded. Another student explained, “That’s what a computer looks like. A lot of people think this [he pointed to the television monitor] is the computer, but it’s just a screen.” The other students, who mostly … Read more
I think it was three years ago that I signed my classes up for the first time to participate in the Hour of Code. I was determined that year that every grade level I met with during the week (gifted students, 1st-5th) would participate. I’m one of those people who jumps into things without … Read more
A few years ago, I thought I would help out the parents of my gifted and talented students by writing about some games, toys, or books that I thought might make good purchases during the holiday season. I called the series of posts, “Gifts for the Gifted,” and I have continued to do it annually on every … Read more
The Hopscotch app (iOS only) has long been a favorite for my student coders. They have lots of tutorials, and the students who participate in a couple of those often ask if they can code their own projects after learning the basics. If you have some iPads in your classroom, you may want to let some … Read more
About a month ago, I downloaded a beta version of Apple’s newest iOS on to my iPad so I could try out the widely advertised Swift Playgrounds app that would be installed along with the new operating system. I’ve been a supporter of teaching kids how to code for a few years, and I was … Read more