Learning Through Code

Well, there was certainly a lot of excitement in my house this week! The moment my 11-year old son found out that my homework was coding, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning. Apparently, coding is very cool in his world, and before I could even open up my laptop, he was already showing me around some of his favorite sites.

First, he walked me through Music Lab, where you can create music using coding blocks – definitely his vibe.  Then he introduced me to something called Microsoft MakeCode Arcade, which lets you build simple pixelated video games. He’s been exploring coding both at home and at school for a couple of years now, so he’s basically my personal tech support at this point.

My 1st Coding Experience

My original plan was to dive into Scratch. I really loved that it has both teacher and student resources, plus ideas for connecting coding projects directly to curriculum outcomes. But after a few clicks and a little trial and error, I realized I might have been a bit too ambitious. Scratch is powerful, but I will definitely need to explore it more if I want to use it in the classroom.

So, I decided to ease in with something more beginner-friendly. HourofCode has so many options for learners – I could see several being student favorites, all that seem to be a good mix of fun and educational. A win win.  I decided to try out Dance Party and the tutorials were super helpful. Within just a few minutes I was coding my own dance routine (with animated animals busting moves to great pop songs – what’s not to love?). I did run into a few hiccups – figuring out how to organize the blocks better, and getting the timing right was tricker than I expected. But, once I wrapped my head around how the song measures worked, things started to click. It was actually a lot of fun and I before I knew it, a couple of hours and flown by!

Coding in the Classroom

All in all, this little coding adventure taught me a lot and made me think about how powerful coding can be in the classroom. With some scaffolding and the right tools (aka these great websites!), anyone can start coding. I went from “I have no idea what I’m doing” to “look what I  made!” in just a couple of hours. Imagine what students could do with a little more time and guidance!

I’m already thinking of ways I can integrate coding into my future classroom. Coding would be a fantastic alternative way for students to show what they know. Some kids might struggle with traditional paper-and-pencil tasks, but give them a chance to create something digitally, and they may just shine. I also feel that coding would be especially useful in subjects like math. While they think they’re just playing a fun game, coding actually helps students engage with logic, sequencing, and problem-solving in a hands-on way. Perfect for learners who may need concrete examples to gain an understanding of a concept.

Curious how it turned out? 

After some trial, error, and a lot of button-clicking (plus a few high-fives from my son), I ended up with a mini digital dance party! It might not win any tech awards, but it was a blast to make. Who knew university homework could be so fun? I hope you enjoy it!