Coding my Own Dance Party

For this weeks blog post, I decided to do a Hour of Code option on Code.org. As soon as I got on the website, I saw the one I wanted to do which was creating my own dance party. I chose this because I knew it would be a very fun way to try out coding on my own for the first time and I know that this is something that would catch the eyes of younger children, if I were to ever use it in the classroom.

When first starting this coding option, there is an introduction video. In this video, she gives a brief overview of what you will be creating, as well as why coding is important for young children to learn. The entire coding process was laid out in a very organized fashion for young (or new) learners. It goes through a step by step process, unlocking something new to code with each step. Once you complete all of the steps, you are able to create your own dance party, in whatever way you want. I have taken screenshots of my progress step by step. I believe that if these steps were not laid out so nicely for users, I would have been like a deer in the headlights and would have no clue where to start.

Here is the link for my final product!

https://studio.code.org/projects/dance/roKD2vFZcXlKpyJ20K7mdh_j_twDE_cYXzvQfy8k3VA

Going into this, I had never coded before. I learned that you need to pay careful attention to what you are doing, or else it could mess everything up. I found that a couple of times, I didn’t like how something looked, and it would take me so long to figure out where I went wrong. I would have to go through each step slowly and carefully. It is a very time consuming task, especially when there are endless options for what you can do! I remember in my pre-internship, my co-op teacher brought in coding ninjas and they taught the students how to code their own galaxy. The kids absolutely loved it, they were so engaged by asking questions and showing each other what they had created. I thought it was an excellent idea to bring in an expert on the topic. They were there for a majority of the afternoon, but I feel as though there was so much more that they could do!

When I used to first hear of coding, I thought it was something you would never need to learn and that it was more of a hobby and revolved around computer games. However, after reading Why Coding is Important, I realize that children can actually gain plenty of skills from learning to code. From math skills to writing skills, coding can benefit children’s learning in numerous ways. Additionally, coding challenges children, teaches them to problem solve more effectively, allows them to be creative, and it builds on skills that will increase their success in the real world in the future. After exploring coding on my own, and seeing the work that Coding Ninja’s does while in my pre internship, I now realize that there are a lot more ways to teach my students coding than I had anticipated. I am excited to continue learning about coding for myself, so I can begin to educate my students as well!