Helping Kids with Coding For Dummies

Camille McCue, PhD, is Director of Curriculum Innovations at the Adelson Educational Campus in Las Vegas where she leads the Startup Incubator, teaches STEM, and kickstarts K-12 learning initiatives. Sarah Guthals, PhD, co-founded an ed-tech company and now continues to build technology for kids to learn, create, and share safely online. She loves to teach teachers how to teach coding in the classroom.

• Introduction 1About This Book 1Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Where to Go from Here 3Part 1: Getting Started with Coding 5Chapter 1: Welcome To (Or Back To) Coding 7Why Kids Are Coding 8What are they learning? 8How are they learning? 9What does it mean down the road? 10Why You Need to Know Coding 11Fear and loathing (of coding) 11You may already know more than you think 12Where Do You Come In? 13In the classroom 13Camp or after-school coach 15Mentor 16Working with Young Coders 18Chapter 2: Understanding the Big Ideas 19Seeing the Big Picture in Coding 19Acting Out the Big Picture, Unplugged 20Dramatizing a noncoding process 21Walking through some daily tasks 22Creating an Algorithm 23Turning a picture into words 23One possible vacuuming algorithm in code 24Representing Algorithms 26Acting it out 27Drawing a picture 27Creating a storyboard 28Building a flowchart 28Writing pseudocode 30Commenting the bones 31Organizing with Sequence, Selection, and Repetition 33Sequence 34Selection 35Repetition 36Including Randomness in Your Coding 38Chapter 3: Figuring Out Programming Languages 41What You Want in a Language 42Free Languages for Tots and Kids 42The Foos 42Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar 43Daisy the Dinosaur 43Scratch Jr 44Free Languages for Youth and Tweens 45Scratch 45Hopscotch 47Kodu 47Languages for Teens and Older 48Alice 48MIT App Inventor 2 49Python 50JavaScript 53Java 55Other Awesome (Not-So-Free) Languages 58MicroWorlds EX 58Tynker 58GameSalad 58Part 2: Getting Your Hands on Code 61Chapter 4: Working with Words 63Communicating with Text 63Showing Text Onscreen 64Using pseudocode 64Using Scratch 64Using Python 65Using HTML 66Using JavaScript in an app 66Using Java 68Words In, Words Out 69Using Scratch 70Using Python 71Using HTML and JavaScript 71Using JavaScript in an app 72Combining Text Onscreen 74Using pseudocode 75Using Scratch 75Using Python and other languages 75Formatting Text Onscreen 77A Mad Libs Example 78Chapter 5: Knowing Where You Are and Where You’re Going 81Acting Out Position, Unplugged 82Setting and Finding Position 85Using pseudocode 85Using Scratch to set position 86Using Scratch to find position 87Using JavaScript 87Positioning Objects Randomly 93Using Scratch 93Using JavaScript 94Setting and Finding Direction 95Using pseudocode 95Using Scratch 96Setting Object Direction Randomly 97Using Scratch 97Turning 98Using pseudocode 98Using Scratch 98Acting Out Motion, Unplugged 99Making an Object Move 100Using pseudocode 100Using Scratch 101Using JavaScript 103Asteroid Blaster 104Chapter 6: Getting Fancy with Graphics and Sound 107Sizes of Images and Sounds, Unplugged 108Activities surrounding images and sounds 108Knowing your sizes 109Using Graphics in Your Programs 109Image file types 109Creating images 110Finding images on the web 111Importing a JPEG or PNG in Scratch 114Importing a GIF in Scratch 116Importing a JPEG, PNG, or GIF in JavaScript 117Adding Sound to Your Programs 117Sound file types 118Creating original sounds 118Finding sounds on the web 119Importing sounds into Scratch 120Importing audio into JavaScript 121Creating a Sound Board 122Part 3: There is Math on This Test! 125Chapter 7: Tackling These Ever-Changing Variables 127Acting Out Variables, Unplugged 127Variable parts 128Dramatizing variables 130I Do Declare (And Initialize) 132Using pseudocode 132Using Scratch 133Using Python 134Using JavaScript 135Using Java 136Checking on Variable Values 137Using Scratch 138Using Python 138Using JavaScript 138Using Java 140Incrementing and Decrementing Variables 140Using pseudocode 140Using Scratch 141Using Python 141Using JavaScript 142Using Java 142Creating a Stock Ticker 142Chapter 8: Computing Using Math 145Acting Out Math, Unplugged 145Number types 146Dramatizing math 146Doing Simple Math 149Using pseudocode 149Using Scratch 149Using Python 150Doing Advanced Math Operations 150Using pseudocode 151Using Scratch 152Using Python 153Oh So Mod — Using the Mod Operation 156Using pseudocode 157Using Scratch 157Using Python 157Ordering Those Operations (PEMDAS) 157Using Scratch 158Using Python 158Rounding 159Rounding via casting in Java 160Rounding decimals to integers via methods 160Generating and Using Random Numbers 162Using pseudocode 162Using Scratch 162Using Python 163Coding a Crypto Code Maker 163Chapter 9: Helping with Logic Operations 167Simple Logic, Unplugged 167Programming Simple Conditionals 169In pseudocode 169In Scratch 169In Python 170In JavaScript 170In Java 172Advanced Logic, Unplugged 174Coding Compound Conditionals (aka, AND, NOT, and OR Will Get You Pretty Far!) 176In pseudocode 177Compound conditionals in Scratch 177In Python 179In JavaScript 181In Java 181Rock, Paper, Scissors 182Chapter 10: Getting Loopy 185Loops, Unplugged 185Repeat fun, unplugged 186Random loop conditions, unplugged 186Loop Types and Structures 187Infinite loops 188Actions repeated in loops 188Conditions of loops 188Using pseudocode 189Using Scratch 191Using Python 193Nesting Loops 196Using pseudocode 196Using Scratch 197Using Python 198Coding the Classic Fibonacci Sequence 199Chapter 11: Adding Lists 201Lists, Unplugged 201Introducing Lists 203Using pseudocode 203Using Scratch 205Using Java 208Sorting Lists 215Selection sort: An easy sorting algorithm 215Common application: Arranging numbers in order 216Searching Lists 217Linear versus binary searching algorithms 217Common application: Finding a phone number 218Chapter 12: Coding Subprograms 221Subprograms, Unplugged 221Starting with Pseudocode 223Creating a Spirograph with Subprograms 224Pseudocode 225Scratch 225JavaScript 227Java 228Coding Subprograms with Parameters 230Scratch code block with parameters 230JavaScript, with parameters 233Java, with parameters 234Part 4: Applying What You Know 237Chapter 13: Fixing Problems by Debugging 239Debugging, Unplugged 240Finding Common Syntax Errors 242Scoping errors 242Typing errors 243Incorrect data types 244Finding Common Semantic Errors 245Infinite loops 245Off by one 246Strategies for Debugging 248Turning sections on and off 248Testing sample data 251Adding output messages 251Walking Away 253Chapter 14: Creating a Webpage 255Getting Set Up 255Creating a Basic Webpage Layout 261The skeleton: HTML basics 262The aesthetics: CSS 265Getting Fancy with Color and Graphics 272Adding color to your page 272Introducing graphics 276Adding Hyperlinks 278Going Interactive with JavaScript 280Adding buttons 280Changing your page with buttons 282Combining HTML, CSS, and JavaScript 283Chapter 15: Building a Mobile Game 289Getting Started with MIT App Inventor 289Community and support within MIT App Inventor 291The layout of MIT App Inventor 292Using an Emulator versus a Real Device 294Using the Android Emulator 294Using a real Android device 295Testing on the emulator and Android device 295Designing Mobile Apps 302Adding the Components in Design View 303Coding Your Mobile App 306Getting your puppy moving 306Setting up your start screen and variables 308Coding random placement of items 309Coding collision with items 311Levels, timers, and final score 312Distributing Your Apps 315Chapter 16: Programming Simple Electronics 317Gathering Your Hardware 317The micro:bit board 318Buying the board and components 318Accessing the Software 320Navigating the interface 320Writing and using a program 321Don’t Wake Baby Gadget 324Flowcharting the program 324Writing the code 326Downloading code to the micro:bit 333Connecting hardware components 333Testing the device 334Trying Wacky and Fun Variations 335Part 5: The Part of Tens 337Chapter 17: Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Selecting a Kids Coding Curriculum 339DO Find the Right Entry Level 340Getting started in elementary grades 340Getting started in the middle grades 341Getting started in high school grades 341DON’T Assume Cost Equals Quality 343DO Balance Lessons with Free Exploration 344DON’T Instantly Dismiss Teaching Languages 344DO Consult CSTA for Guidance 346DON’T Buy “Coding” Toys for Babies 346DO Emphasize the Soft Skills 346DON’T Let Kids Get Stuck in a Loop 347DO Present the Bigger Picture 347DON’T Stereotype Coders 347Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Keep the Coding Learning Going 349Unplugged 349Research Pioneers of Computing 350Go Lateral from Code 351Language Tracking 351Smart Home Projects 352Include Outside Passions 352Open-Source Projects 353Group Projects 354Community Support 354Portfolios 355Index 357