For this week I decided to code a dance party on Hour of Code. I chose the dance party because who doesn’t love grooving to music!?! Actually, I love dancing so I thought coding a dance party could be something fun that I connect to. I have never coded before and never really given it the time of day to get into what it is all about and why it is so popular. After working on Hour of Code for about an hour (haha), I could understand why youth are loving coding. It is a chance to show your creativity using technology. It is similar to video games but can be so much more than a game.

What I liked about creating a dance party on Hour of Code was that it walked be through step by step of the skills I needed to acquire to create a dance party independently. At each level it gave me time to watch a video (like the one shown above) to learn about the new skill and the “why” behind each skill, as well as time to practice. This helped boost my confidence so I felt like I was ready to create a dance party independently once I passed all ten levels. If I forgot what I needed to do at any point in time, I could refer back to the videos I watched to relearn how to complete different codes to make my dancers move in specific ways. I got to chose my own music, the backdrop behind the dancers, the dance characters, the number of characters, and their dance sequences.

When it was my turn to independently create a dance party I went through lots of trial and error to make sure that my dancers were moving to the music in a way that I liked. I wanted there to be some diversity in their moves, all while moving in a good rhythm to the music. I added controls using the arrow keys on my keyboard that would make my dancers move differently than the way they are consistently moving the music. This makes my coding product fun and interactive.

I think coding is important for kids to know that everything technology works because it was created with intention by someone. In a world where we are tech-forward, I think that this is something that kids can experience in school or at home in a safe and fun way. The sites Hour of Code and Scratch are great kid-friendly resources that can be used in the classroom if you are looking for ways to expand your use of technology. You can find specific coding assignments that relate to outcomes such as following a map (social studies), using mathematical skills, following step by step instructions (language arts), etc.

Anyways, check out my final product! I had fun making this dance party and I hope you enjoy engaging with it. Dance away my friends and cue music!