Welcome Knights

 Hello Knights! Welcome to our Learning Commons blog where we will share information about books, coding, robots, STEM, and more. We hope that this blog inspires you to try something new and supports your learning. If you have any questions or need an extra set of hands when you're doing an activity, please connect with me! 

Happy Learning 

Coding on iPad

 There are lots of great apps that you can use on iPad that make coding feel like a game.  Some can even be used with students who are not yet reading. I have tried many different apps, and these are a few favourites (click on the red app names and you will be sent to the App store for download): 

In Box Island kids learn about loops and conditionals through a fun and challenging game.  Box Island's Hour of Code is available for free.  In Box Island you can change the language to French if you like! This app requires little to no reading because students use arrows!

LightBot Hour of Code allows you to try LightBot for free.  Solve 20 Levels of puzzles using programming logic.  LightBot Hour of Code allows you to switch the language to French. This does not require reading because it uses arrows but it is slightly more challenging than Box Island. 

Students as young as 4 can program their own interactive stories and games with Scratch Jr.  You can download free activity pages to help you get started from the Scratch Jr website.  This app is a great next step after students have learned basic coding language in the previous two apps. 

Here is a link to an activity called "Run a Race" from the Scratch Jr. website. Teachers do not have to be expert coders to teach their students how to write lines of code. Visit the website and follow the instructions to get yourself and your students coding! Most of these lessons take approximately 20 mins. 

Code.org Resources

CODE.org is a great place to start when you want to learn about coding yourself and for your classroom. The site includes great videos to get kids excited about coding. It also offers lots of great coding activities for Hour of Code.  Students can choose from their favourite characters and learn the fundamentals of coding with R2D2, Anna and Elsa, Moana, or in the world of Minecraft.  These activities can be done in any internet browser (including on iPad). Check out this one stop shop! 

Coding Unplugged
You can teach the fundamentals of computer science whether you have computers in your classroom or not!  Check out these great Unplugged resources from CODE.org.

Check out this video from Code.org about "What is Creativity?". This might be a provocation/great place to start in your classroom when you launch coding. 

Dash & Dot

Dash & Dot robots are a fun way to introduce block coding to your students. Dot has less features because it doesn't move, but it still offers a great opportunity to learn and practice coding. A perfect place to start learning about these robots is the Wonder Workshop website. It offers resources for teachers, lessons, and a learn to code curriculum. 

Below is an example of a video from the Wonder Workshop YouTube channel. Their channel offeres introductory videos, lessons, and tutorials. 

Below is a PDF document to get you started with Dash and Dot. You can print these and make them available to your students as well. You can find printed copies in the Learning Commons by the STEM shelf.