OTHER CODING PROGRAMS AND GAME CREATION

Other Coding Programs and Game Creation

Daisy The Dinosaur

Daisy the Dinosaur is a free application for iOS devices that has the aim of teaching children the rudiments of coding through either challenge or free-play mode. Challenge mode requires the pupil to make use of the provided tools to achieve specific goals whilst free-play allows children to open the metaphorical sandbox and attempt any application that is possible in Daisy the Dinosaur's basic applications.

I think that as a supplement to Scratch Jr or Scratch programming skills, this could be a beneficial applicaton to have availabe in the classroom as it allows demonstration of skill transfer to a novel coding environment: something professional programmers have to do . If given the opportunity to do so during FPP,I would like to investigate incorporating Daisy the Dinosaur into my Computing teaching.

Alice

Alice is a 3D object based programming environment where children can alter and programme characters on a native language, based on C and C#. Alice offers a much more detailed game field, using 3D models as opposed to 2D sprites to relay its algrotihms. This serves to render Alice a more engaging programming environment than Scratch and similar applications. In the example below, Alice has been used to integrate sound, algorithms, animations and multiple 3D characters to produce a short 'Bond movie.'

I feel that similarly to Daisy, the use of Alice to demonstrate skills transfer between coding languages and environments would be good to supplement the already excellent capabilities of Scratch. It would require some further exploration, but I believe looking at the provided evidence base that Alice could be a fantastic addition to a Computing course in a primary school.

Rapid Router

Rapid router is another block-based programming language, however this time based on Python. It comes as part of the Code for Life project, a movement looking to encourage the use of programming in education. Rapid Router is available as both an in-browser application and a discrete application for Android and iOS devices. It follows the basic principle of encouraging children to begin with the rudiments of coding by structuring them as a game. The complexity of the provided code becomes quite significant towards the later levels and allows children to build up a substantial repertoire of coding ability when playing.

By incorporating this 'game' system into teaching allows pupils to make rapid progress, assuming that they find the game itself fun. The application contains multiple motivations and is an engaging way of writing code, based on a block language. In conjunction with other coding applications, this python-based program could lead to rapid development of coding ability in children.

Move The Turtle

Move the Turtle harks back to my primary school days, with me clearly remembering programming a 'floor turtle' to move around a computer screen on a dilapidated computer in Year 4. It takes the turtle sprite and allows the user to program it to move around the screen of the device being used. Only available on iOS and Android devices restricts the classroom demonstration capabilities of the application without the additional use of broadcasting software but it appears to be a nice, clean program for developing instruction and algorithmic skills in children.

Move The Turtle has some more elaborate functions that mirror some of those available in Scratch such as 'draw' which could be linked in a cross-curricular fashion to maths, using the application to draw specific polygons.

However, the premium nature of the application when compared to other applications of its type reduces the possiblity of its use in my own practice considering the similarities it has to Scratch.

Hour of Code

An hour of code is a movement sponsored by many international developers and educational establishments. It provides a range of interactive and engaging games to use to develop coding skills in children by directing Minecraft or Frozen characters to fulfil algorithms to desired effects.

I have personally previously spent a lot of time experimenting with CodeCombat, an application that can teach its user how to code in java, python, C, Lua and HTML5. This was done as part of my previous support work in a Computer Science lesson.

Although some of the elements on the website are far more advanced than would be needed in the primary classroom (I was struggling with the later levels that included multiple dependencies and the like), it is a highly engaging game for both boys and girls with opportunities to customise their heroes respectfully and with elements of competitiveness to promote working through the game faster.

Some of the tasks on the Hour of Code website are more suited to higher up the school, with the applications requiring analytical skills and appliciations that children in KS1 and LKS2 do not possess yet.