Coding in the classroom may be something you think of when you think of a college course!
NO! NO! NO!
My Friends are NOT in college.
We are coding in 2nd grade! You read that right... "We are coding in 2nd grade!!" EEEEEEEEK! (my shrill of happiness)
What is coding?
"Computer programming (often shortened to programming, sometimes called coding) is a process that leads from an original formulation of a computing problem to executable computer programs." - dictionary.com
Pretty much computer programming is telling a computer exactly what to do!! :)
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| Here is an example of what they will be doing!! Each level is different and each level gets more complex as they progress. |
I am so excited to share this with you guys. My kiddos were SUPER excited to take on the challenge. They felt very important and did I mention... They are coding to MINECRAFT... If you are wondering what Minecraft is, it is a video game that apparently ALL 2nd graders LOVE! So, when I told them I was combining Minecraft and coding together that was just the icing to the cake.
We took the challenge of "an hour of coding!" You can access the website by clicking HERE. You will absolutely love it and so will your kiddos! I promise!! It makes them think differently. Also, they are learning perseverance and teamwork. I did partner them together for the first round so they could bounce ideas off of each other. I do plan to have them do it independently in the future.
The kids were challenging each other and trying really hard to complete the entire game within that hour time frame. They were superstars rock stars!! Kudos to them for owning something that they were just introduced to.
At the end of the day, they all wanted to know the website so they could go home and code!! WOW!! Amazing teacher moment right there! :)
Oh!! How true! This activity really did teach my kiddos how to think and problem solve and most importantly learn together. They became a team and figured out how to get through it together. No one in the classroom was left behind and it felt amazing, as a teacher, to see all of your kids working so hard at something. They didn't argue. They all had one common goal and "WOW" is all I really have to say. I agree with Steve Jobs!!
