Thursday, November 16, 2017

Hour(s) of Code!

Hour of Code is an annual event to promote Computer Science. According to their website: 

The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The 2017 Computer Science Education Week will be December 4-10, but you can host an Hour of Code all year round. Computer Science Education Week is held annually in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906). 
We're starting Hour of Code and changing the name to Hours of Code!


Thank you, Hadi Partovi for creating this project!




To prepare for our coding lessons, we did a collaborative unplugged activity involving building. The challenge was to build a free-standing tower out of 20 pieces of spaghetti. At the top of the tower was a marshmallow. Only 1 meter of tape and 1 meter of string were allowed to create the tower. 

This building challenge was a great chance to practice the strategy of trial and error. If your design didn't work, try another tactic! 


In preparation, we watched a building video on BrainPop.





Then it was time to start building!








 Some bundled the pasta together for strength. 




Others spread out the sticks for a broad base




The pyramid base was an idea from the BrainPop video! 



After 18 minutes, the building time was up!

1st Place :: 47 cm



2nd Place :: 46 cm




3rd Place :: 42 cm
Fun fact, this tower is still standing today!





Everyone enjoyed the first build! 








One tower was so tall is rose above 60 centimeters! Unfortunately, gravity was not a friend. 




After learning about the importance of trial and error, the class signed into our Hour of Code class. 


We needed our secret image to sign in! What a cute array! 




Let the coding begin!






What are you enjoying about the Hour of Code?

What skills have you learned?

What can you do with coding? 

18 comments:

  1. @ Mrs. Yollis,


    The possibilities of coding are endless, from creating simple circles to creating some of the world's most famous games.


    Coding is fun for me because of all of the amazing things you can create. Most people don't notice it but coding goes into everyday things. For example, if you are trying to tell the time you sometimes look at a digital clock made by code. I can easily tell that the time is 10:45 PM in Abu Dhabi, where I am right now (but my mom said I'm aloud to be awake because I haven't adjusted to the time change.)

    Anyway, you can make ANYTHING with code, from a simple snowman to a famous film.

    What have you ever made with code? If you haven't created anything yet, what would you create?



    Warmly,
    W♦ll

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Will

      I had many experience with coding.For example I have been doing JavaScript to make faces, foods, snowman's , and coloring all of my projects.I have also have been using a website called Hour of Code but our class likes to call it Hours of code.

      I like coding because you can make games that code be on the App Store for years.In Hours of Code I am on lesson 3.In lesson 3 you are gonna learn how to collect gems by using the collect button.

      From,
      J@diams;ke S.

      Delete
    2. Dear Jake S.,

      Hi Jake! Sadly, Im not caught up on Hour Of Code because I'm in Abu Dhabi ��. But after I publish this comment I will email Mrs. Yollis and ask for the class code because I don't have my acer in Abu Dhabi.


      I never new you started the fruit challenge (If you don't JavaScript this must be a whole new language to you) ! By the way, the diamond code isn't @diams; it is & diams; .



      What kinds of faces have you made? Are there any other reasons you like coding?

      Your friend,
      w♦ll

      Delete
    3. Benjamin's mom, LaurenNovember 17, 2017 at 8:23 AM

      Hi Will and Jake!
      It sounds like you both have had some really cool experiences with coding. I think that it is great that Mrs. Yollis is having you all experiment with coding. I think coding is something that will be very useful for you all as you get older...and it looks like a lot of fun!

      Have either of you made any full games yet? I'd love to play them if you have!
      From,
      Lauren

      Delete
    4. Dear Will and Jake,

      I think I may need the two of you to tutor me in coding. I'm not even sure what I would make, as I'm a little overwhelmed by the possibilities. Coding is definitely a skill you will need in your future.
      Jake S., what happens when you collect gems? Is this part of a game?

      Jake and Will, how would use coding help to spruce up a website?

      Warmly,

      Lindsay(Will's mom)

      Delete
    5. William,
      I'm really excited that you are learning to write code! And you are right the possibilities are endless! I'm looking forward to hearing more about your coding adventures and showing you some of the ways coding is used to create animation and visual effects. I hope you are having a great time in Abu Dhabi!

      Love,
      Dad

      Delete
  2. Ethan, Chloe Sky, Jake S., Micah, HannahNovember 16, 2017 at 12:20 PM

    Dear Class,

    Jake S. likes doing coding because he likes collecting gems. It reminds him of mining in MineCraft.

    Micah also loves coding. He is in the debugging lesson and he likes that in one level you cannot delete blocks.

    Chloe Sky adores the step button. She uses it to click and walk through the steps before she runs the code. It is good to see if you have it right or not.

    Ethan enjoys the backgrounds and the characters. The animation really looks outstanding.

    Hannah has only done a little bit of coding. She has watched her brother writing JavaScript. When she learns to code, she will make a unicorn!

    Your new coders,
    Ethan, Chloe Sky, Micah, Hannah, and Jake S.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @ Ethan, Chloe Sky, Jake S., Micah, and Hannah,

      We sure do have a ton of coders in our class! I have always loved how you are free to do whatever you can imagine with code. There are truly no limits.

      Micah, I don't think I remember that lesson, but it seems very good because sometimes it's good to just go with the flow.

      Chloe Sky, When you try and you try and you just can't get something right, the step button is there to help you. I think the step button is great because if you don't know what you did wrong, you can always move slow.

      Unfortunately, I need to go write another comment so I can't get to all of you.

      Your friend,
      w♦ll

      Delete
  3. @Mrs. Yollis Class

    I enjoy that they add fun characters like Angry Birds and Ice Age.

    I learned about debugging and programming. Debugging is fixing bugs. An example of programming is if you want an Angry Bird to move forward you click move forward and drag it and then press run.

    Your Classmate
    Jackson

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Members of Mrs. Yollis' Classroom,

    I am a 79 year old great-aunt of Chloe Sky. I appreciate all you are doing learning how to blog and now doing coding. By the time the year is over, your class members could become genius "techies".

    Being a retired school Principal from a private independent school, I recognize the learning skills you are learning. I hope you will be able to transfer these skills in future learning situations!

    Good luck to all of you,
    Mrs. Hubiak ( Nona ) A Greek name for godmother

    ReplyDelete
  5. @class @Mrs. Yollis

    Dear Class and Mrs. Yollis,

    I am so excited for you! Coding is the coolest thing you can do with a computer! Way more fun that playing games. With coding you can make your own games!

    Mimi's favorite coding sites when she was little were: Kodable and Lightbot.

    I'm so happy that she's getting back into it, because it really is the "language of the future".

    Thank you for posting those awesome pictures of your first project - that looked like a lot of fun!

    How do you think learning to code can help you in the future?

    Sincerely,

    Mrs. M (Mimi's mom)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Mrs Yollis,

    I liked Coding because I got to learn how to do things like how to only put down one thing instead of lots of things and it saves a lot of time.

    I enjoyed it because coding is important because many people use it and all computer programs are made from code. I am lucky that I get to learn it at a young age.

    What coding games do you like? Which is your favorite?

    From,
    Sam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Sam,

      I, personally, have never tried a coding game. However, I would like to because they seem very fun. Many of my friends play coding games and love them. Plus, Will tells me they are very entertaining.


      Some coding games that I would love to try include Doodle Jump, Flappy Bird, and Tadpole Tap. I hope that soon Will will teach me how to play!

      What coding game do you recommend I try first?

      From,
      Madi ( Will's Babysitter)

      Delete
  7. Dear Class
    I am so impressed with your coding section
    Learning to write code is so great for students
    I am excited to hear all about this from Mila who is my granddaughter. She was just visiting us for the holiday and we had so much fun. I hope all of you enjoyed your holiday also. I plan to keep up with your class and your adventures this year
    Fondly,
    Mila’s Nana

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great job on tower building everyone. I cannot wait to see what you build next. I remember learning to code when I was in elementary school. Of course, that was a long time ago. Our whole school shared one computer. Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nick (Chloe Sky's Dad)December 1, 2017 at 6:32 PM

    Dear Class,


    Coding is a great skill to develop! I too code with languages like Python, Jython, Bourne Shell, and others! Coding helps to do my job better. I can see that is helps you do your jobs better too (as students :-) ).

    When I was in high school, we coded on an Apple II c. That was a long time ago... The coding tools you use are exciting and much better today.

    Keep pushing yourselves to learn as much as you can.


    Good job class,


    Nick (Chl♥e Sky's Dad) ♥♥♥











    ReplyDelete
  10. wow. I just had lots of fun learning to code with Mila. When can I come try it out in class?

    ReplyDelete
  11. @ Mrs.Yollis

    I like coding because it is fun and I like the Minecraft coding and the Flappy Bird coding.

    From,
    Arjan

    ReplyDelete

* * *
Getting feedback is important to our writers. Let us know what you liked or what you learned.

Steps to Comment:

1. Write your comment in the box below. Be sure that you have proofread it for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Students should have a parent check it!

2. Choose an identity. (If you have a gmail account, use it. If not, choose name/url. You can leave the url blank if you do not have a blog.)

3. Click "Publish your Comment". You may preview your comment before publishing if you'd like.


Important: All comments MUST be approved by me.
:-) Mrs. Yollis