Teaching Kids to Code

Lynn Langit – Developer Evangelist – Microsoft http://blogs.msdn.com/SoCalDevGal

Top Teaching Tips

Know your audience

Use relevant examples

Don’t talk AT the class

Do talk WITH the class

Combine discussion, demo and labs

Overcoming Myths About

Coding

What Technologies Do Girls Like?

TechnologiesPhones

Pictures – Visual interaction

Movies

Interactive Characters

Worlds that can be created

Social networking

Robots

An Example: DigiGirlz

Annual events worldwide

Hosted by Microsoft

For 12-17 year old girls

Learn about tech HOLs

Career info

Mentoring

Techniques for teaching teen Girls

10-10-10 (3 concepts/hr)

Action / Movement

Collaboration

Women, especially younger women, as mentors / teachers

Relevant Examples for Girls

NEW – international and virtual

Teach kids to build what they see

Oh, and…Fun is Good!

Reminder… Check your hair BEFORE turning on your unified communications (web cam)

Some Examples…

Small BasicGames + Programming

== Fun

Environment

EditorInstant Help

Intellisense

Ribbon

Stopping a running

program

Buttons

File Buttons

• New, Open, Save

Web Buttons• Import, Publish

Clipboard Buttons

• Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo

Program Buttons

• Run

This is how you make a turtle draw a line

using code.

When things go

wrong

Errors Popup

This is how you draw a square

Variables

Loops

Calculate Angle

Polygon

This is how you draw a

spirograph.

Colorful

Background

Learn More…

Watch the Small Basic site on DevLabs

KODU Visual Game Progamming

Visual Programming

Is Engaging, Intuitive & Fun

Encourages Exploration

Needs no manual

Needs minimal instructions

Introduces formal programming

Objects

Properties

Methods

The Controller

Playing a game

Editing the worldTo edit, press Back

Go to the edit selection

Chose what you want to add

Instructions will be in top left corner

Only objects can be programmed in Kodu.

You can change the terrain as well

Add water

Add hills or valleys

Change texture

Change color (background and lighting)

Editing screen

ADDING an object

Editing objects

Change color

Clone

Add music

Position

Add activities (i.e. program)

Manipulating Objects

Programming – when/do

Programming Actions available

Move

Kick

Score Points

Add Music

Eat

Switch

Swear

More…

Advanced settings

Rate of kicking acceleration, Lighting, Volume, Breeze speed…

Saving your game

How to find out more

Microsoft Research Site - here

Get Microsoft Software for FREE

For high school and college students - DreamSpark

For startup businesses - BizSpark

For everyone / Express editions – VS and SQL - here