CSEd Week (Post-Script) - More and More Code for Everyone! freeCodeCamp.com

We have already used many of the Blockley-Style Programming tutorials found on Code.Org.  Now, without creating an account, try some of the tutorials on other programming languages found on freeCodeCamp.com.  Here is some basic information (taken directly from their About Us page) to get you started.  Good Luck! 

What is freeCodeCamp?

We’re a community that helps you learn to code, then get experience by contributing to open source projects used by nonprofits.

How can you help me learn to code?

You'll learn to code by completing coding challenges and building projects. You'll also earn verified certificates along the way. We also encourage you to join a study group in your city so you can code in-person with other people.

Is freeCodeCamp really free?

Yes. Every aspect of freeCodeCamp is 100% free.

Can freeCodeCamp help me get a job as a software developer?

Yes. Every year, thousands of people who join the freeCodeCamp community get their first software developer job.

How can I get a job?

Most people get jobs through friends and hiring managers they know from coding events. There are also services that can help you get interviews.

How long will it take me to finish each of freeCodeCamp's certificates?

Each certificate takes around 400 hours of dedicated learning. Some people may take longer. These certificates are completely self-paced, so take as long as you need.

Is freeCodeCamp a replacement for a 4-year degree?

No. Please don’t drop out of college just to pursue freeCodeCamp. You can pursue both concurrently. Even though you don’t need a 4-year degree to work as a software developer, it still helps a lot.

Should I complete all of the coding challenges in order?

We’ve put a lot of thought into how we introduce concepts. But you’re free to jump around.

Where can I get technical support for using the freeCodeCamp.org platform?

Here are answers to common technical support questions.

- freeCodeCamp Information Above Taken Directly From Their Site!

Click The Link Below To Start:
https://www.freecodecamp.org/challenges/learn-how-freecodecamp-works

You can also try www.W3Schools.com tutorials for many different programming languages.  There are also coding resources on hocphilly.strikingly.com

If you are super-advanced, and really want a challenge, 
TRY THESE LINKS:

The definitive JavaScript handbook for your next developer interview 

(14 minute read): https://fcc.im/2jwgTmL

Here are 450 free online programming and computer science courses you can start in December (browsable list): https://fcc.im/2A1x6Gs

Google Doc Link To Resources:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BpCZpDOjez7kCgoCCihnfAWyhJ7ro8saaGWt-R07OLk/edit?usp=sharing

Bonus: Learn how to build an API using Node.js with this free in-depth YouTube tutorial 

(33 minute watch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsCjFHuMXj0

Google Santa Tracker - Educational Holiday Fun Online!

Google Earth has been helping to track Santa since 2004.  The Santa Tracker on NORAD Santa Tracker is super-cool too!  Everyone can go to santatracker.google.com and enjoy some holiday activites for all ages!  The site claims to let user's "Explore, play and learn with Santa's elves all December long"

According to Wikipedia:
Google Santa Tracker is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program by Google, Inc. that allows users to track Santa during Christmas Eve and before that allows users to play, watch, and learn through little activities that are added daily from the start of December. Most of the year, Google Santa Tracker gets an average of 30,000–45,000 views, but around the holiday season starting early October, it increases to around 150,000, which is fewer^[2] than Google's rival santa tracker, NORAD Tracks Santa.^[3]

So let the holiday spirit fill your screen for a few minutes, and wander around in this fun, playful land of activities designed to inspire students, and make even the grumpiest Scrooge SMILE!

Brainscape - Flashcards and Much More

Do you remember tediously creating flash cards for various subjects in school when you were a kid?  Ever thought that the process of making them was half the battle, but that is how you learned what you needed to know?  Maybe your Middle School teacher was not as crazy as you thought?

Wish you had some flash cards for ASVABS, University subjects, or for just about any other subject?

I stumbled on this fantastic site the other day that has just that, and a whole lot more!  Check out  BRAINSCAPE!  But these are not the hundreds of index cards you must have made as a kid, this is a scientifically proven (their words, not mine) that is described below:

Brainscape's core experience is based on a scientifically proven adaptive flashcards algorithm that repeats concepts in a pattern that is optimized to your pace of learning. Beginning as an Excel spreadsheet in a cognitive science lab at Columbia University, Brainscape has since evolved into a robust web & mobile learning ecosystem. Millions of people around the world are now using Brainscape to dramatically amplify their study results. 
                                                       - Excerpt taken directly from https://www.brainscape.com/about

Check out the video below for more information and then follow the link to a full list of all the subjects that flashcards are created for here: BRAINSCAPE ALL SUBJECTS

Creating, Studying, and Sharing your own content is always FREE!  There are membership fees for premium content, and other features vary.  There are also pre-made decks to share for specific subjects and education products.  This is a great way to share knowledge with students, and have them share it back with you about topics they know well.  Spend some time using this both personally and professionally, and you will see the benefits right away!

Hadi Partovi's (Founder of Code.Org) Open Letter for CSED Week 2017

 

A Letter From Hadi Partovi, Founder of Code.Org, to kick off Computer Science Education Week 2017:

On the 4th anniversary of the #HourOfCode, we’re celebrating record momentum for computer science. We have big announcements to share and a new video to inspire students!

The big event
Monday, the top women in tech – Melinda Gates, Peggy Johnson, Sheryl Sandberg, and Susan Wojcicki – joined Code.org president Alice Steinglass and CSTA lead Deborah Seehorn to kick off CS Education Week. 

Almost 200 governments, school districts, and nonprofits pledge to expand CS for millions of students, globally:

Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Montana, and Pennsylvania, all announced plans to expand CS in schools, joined by 76 U.S. school districts and 80 nonprofits. Internationally, 20 nonprofits and entire countries pledged to expand CS programs for 20,000 teachers and over 2 million students. Read (and share) the news here.

"Anything worth doing doesn't come easy."
Watch basketball champ Stephen Curry try the Hour of Code!

Check it out on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. 

He’s joining Stacy Hinojosa (StacyPlays), Sheryl Sandberg, Russell Wilson, Susan Wojcicki, and myself to inspire kids. When you do your Hour of Code, post your creation to get a personal video chat with one of us!

Make a simple app in one hour 
Check out Code.org’s new App Lab activity.  

AppLab, our coding tool for middle and high school, is now open for anyone to build JavaScript apps. If you’re ready to go beyond block-based coding, the new Hour of Code tutorial helps you design a “choose your adventure” app in JavaScript or blocks. Making your own web app has never been easier.

10 million girls have accounts on Code.org!
This milestone is personal for me. If only 1% of the girls actively learning on Code.org continued past high school, they’d outnumber the gender gap in university CS!   

I’m immensely proud of all the students – boys and girls – who have shown that anybody can learn. We can’t wait to see what you create.

What matters most comes after the Hour of Code
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, every country is participating in the Hour of Code, and together we’ll pass 500 million “hours served” to celebrate the 4th anniversary of this incredible campaign.

But one hour is only the beginning. Go beyond an Hour of Code and pledge to bring computer science to your school. 

The global movement continues to accelerate, thanks to you and your support for our shared vision that every student in every school deserves the opportunity to learn computer science.  

I’m forever humbled and grateful for your support.

Hadi Partovi
Founder, Code.org

CS Education Week 2017 Is Finally Here!

Information as of 12/1/17 at 10am

Here it is!  So close to the holiday season, and we are now in the middle of Computer Science Education Week.  Please visit csedweek.org, code.org, and hourofcode.com to find a wide array of projects for you to complete in class, and at home.  Make sure you are spending some time at home showing your parents (and other family members) how cool is is to learn how to be a programmer!  Need an UNPLUGGED Activity?  Try this Google Slides Presentation:

UNPLUGGED PROGRAMMING: COLLABORATIVE, SCHOOL-WIDE PROJECT SLIDES (Click Here) 

There is a wealth of information about careers, opportunities, and other ways to learn to code!  Use the information found at code.org/promote to help learn about what your states are doing to increase learning opportunities for students who want to learn about computer science.

Watch The Video Below To Get Started!

Once you have looked at some of the resources above, and have discussed them as a class, you have a choice to work on the following items for credit this week:

Project 1:  Try the Celebrity Challenge:  Go to code.org/challenge and create an app, game, or design with Code.org and tag #HourOfCode and one of our special guests for a chance to win a video chat for your classroom!  SHARE a link to your project with Mr. S (hscribner@ccs.us) for credit.

Project 2:  Go to the KANO, Anyone Can Make website and complete the Street Artist Hour of Code tutorial.  You must SHARE your project by creating an account, and emailing a link to your project to Mr. S (hscribner@ccs.us) for credit.

Project 3:  Use your creativity and imagination to bring the Google logo to life using code. Make the letters dance, tell a story or create a game. With Scratch and CS First, anyone can become a designer and programmer for the day!  Go to the GOOGLE LOGO Link to get started.  You must take a screen shot (or video if necessary) of your Google Logo Design and email it to your teacher for credit.

Project 4:  Choose any other tutorial found on hourofcode.com, get a project pre-approved by your teacher, and Share it for credit!  You can also use freecodecamp.org or w3schools.com, or any other online tutorial.  Make sure your content is appropriate for school!  You get extra credit for sharing a new source, tutorial, or application we have not seen yet!

COOL NEW SPECIAL PROJECT:  MICRO-BIT Build a Virtual Pet using code!  

Click the link here https://groklearning.com/hoc/activity/virtual-pet/ and check it out!

Good Luck!  Have Fun!!

The HOUR OF CODE Is Upon Us!

Philadelphia Educators use the link hocphilly.strikingly.com to find resources for next week!

ARE YOU READY FOR THE HOUR OF CODE?  Here are some great resources to get you started, fuel your progress, allow any student to exceed your expectations, and generally keep the students from getting restless while you try to present the coolest curriculum in town!


Here is a link to an Unplugged Google Slides Presentation that will get you through more than an hour if you are without computers!  So Much Fun!

UNPLUGGED PROGRAMMING: COLLABORATIVE, SCHOOL-WIDE PROJECT SLIDES

If you are looking for the Original Hour of Code, look no further.  Click on the link below to see the Code.Org "Official" Hour Of Code Website:

HourOfCode.com

Ed Tech Digest Online Periodical Review

EDTECH DIGEST looks and feels like a much bigger magazine.  Features include Video, Links, Interviews, and Cool Tools!  This is a great resource for every educator.  A recent article that caught my eye was "For Long Term Success, EdTech Need To Be Part Of A School's DNA" by Matt Harris, Ed.D.  The premise of the article states "For a school to have a truly sustainable and impactful edtech program it almost needs to be invisible."  It is a "Must Read" for every educator

The change to a 1:1 environment in the classroom is happening now whether you realize it or not.  All stakeholders in the educational process need to read this article, and come to grips with this fundamental change in the approach to technology now.  We should be educating our children to work in school the same way they will be required to work in future careers, or higher education.  It is imperative that we understand how technology should look in our schools, even as that technology is changing and evolving quicker than it can be implemented fully.


This is an approach that I have tried implement at every step of my career in education.  Every position I have held has brought with it the added expectation that I was the shaman of the school when it came to technology.  From setting up new systems, to coordinating budgets for technology purchases, to implementing new curriculum and applications (both on the fly, and pre-planned).  It seemed that at some point, technology was the supplemental afterthought of curriculum & instruction, rather than a tool used to guide the decision making process. 

While most technology advances, especially in under-served schools and districts, can be cost-prohibitive, there is always a way to make sure it is available.  One needs only to take the time to turn over the rocks of society, and find the gems of financing and supply that are there.

I believe the future of educational technology in schools deals more with providing the infrastructure to support networks, rather than providing the devices themselves.  Schools should focus on standardizing a model suitable for student growth from 6th to 12 grade, and require families to invest in the equipment.  This would eliminate the need for the district to continue to provide gear, and focus on the classroom level integration necessary to drive curriculum.  Families should be providing their own devices, based on a set of locally approved standards, just like they would buy practice equipment for sports, or music and art instruments and supplies.  A safety net, supported by local and national industry, government, non-profits, and charitable organizations could aid families without the means to provide these devices as well.  Devices could be insured (at a reasonably small rate) against theft or damage to make sure that equipment would last throughout the educational lifespan.

Once specified and supplied, students would be free to participate in every class according to the technology pedagogy and curriculum outlined.  21st-century learning and flipped classrooms would become the norm.  Teachers would no longer need to worry about laptop carts, equipment sign-outs, and other inconvenient and menial tasks, and be able to spend more time developing and implementing digital project-based-learning in every class.