Logo & DIY Programming Tools

Every year I hear from people who are transitioning to new positions as a Technical Coach, Tech Integrator, STEM Integrator and other similar roles. Last week I replied to two such emails.

What those readers always ask are ideas and tools for teaching programming beyond the obvious resources like Code.org. So this week I’m sharing some resources for learning to program and teaching programming. These are resources that can be accessed by anyone, even if you have no prior programming experience.

Logo

Logo is a programming language that was developed in 1967 for students. It is the language that introduced me to programming when I was in elementary school. The logo is still around today and you may have heard of many other tools, including Scratch and Snap.

Last week I wrote a short blog post highlighting Gary Staiger’s collection of modern logo resources for teachers. Head over there to find lots of recommendations for reading on how to use logos as teaching tools. You may also want to grab a free copy of the Tortoise Art Tile Project Guide.

blackbird code

Blackbird is a free platform designed to introduce coding principles to students, even if you have no prior experience teaching coding. I tried it with my students at the end of the 2020-21 school year and we loved it.

Blackbird teaches students how to write JavaScript. There are five thematic paths that you can use to guide your students in Blackbird. Whichever you choose, the approach and student process are the same. Students begin with a simple activity that causes a dot or line to appear on the screen. Students then see a split screen lesson that shows them some brief instructions on the left side of the screen and a code editor on the right side of the screen. It is in the split screen environment that students write their first lines of code.

Blackbird makes it easy for you as a teacher to try out all the lessons your students will be doing. All you have to do is sign in to your teacher and then click “Learn” to see what your students will see. You can complete any and all lessons yourself and use all the help tools like “Show Me” that your students have access to when they’re signed in to Blackbird.

Video overviews of the Blackbird can be found here and here.

MIT App Inventor

If you want to build fully functional Android apps, MIT App Inventor is the place to start. MIT App Inventor works in your web browser (Chrome is recommended). The only download required for App Inventor 2 is the alternative emulator. The emulator allows people who don’t have Android devices to text their app on their desktop. If you have an Android device then the emulator is not required and you don’t need to worry about installing it. MIT provides excellent support documentation and courses for new users. here is my tutorial How to use MIT App Inventor.

for the youngest students

Daisy the Dinosaur is a free iPad app designed to introduce young students to some programming basics. The app asks students to create commands for Daisy the Dinosaur. There is a free play mode in which the students can make Daisy do whatever they want. But to get started you want the students to work through the initial challenges. Daisy the Dinosaur asks the students to enter the commands in the correct order so that Daisy can complete the tasks correctly. Daisy the Dinosaur can be used with kindergarten age students.

ScratchJr is based on the Scratch program that has its roots in logos. ScratchJr uses a drag-and-drop block programming interface. Students can program multimedia stories and games on Scratch Junior. To program a story or game on ScratchJr, students select background settings for each frame of the story. Then in each frame the students choose the actions they want their characters to take. Students link together programming pieces to make the characters in their stories and games move and talk. For ideas on how to use ScratchJr in your classroom, visit the teaching page on the ScratchJr site.

Here’s a screenshot of Google Street View, where I was in sixth grade (Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer topped the charts that year) and was introduced to the logo. The building remains, but is no longer used as a school, Is the building where you went to elementary/primary school still standing?

Self-Paced Course You Can Start Today

I have three self-paced courses that you can start today and finish at your own pace.