Teaching Third Graders to Build Programs with Code Blocks
When we reach this part of the third grade computer science curriculum, students are usually comfortable with single-purpose scripts. They know how to make a sprite move or play a sound, but they often see those as isolated tasks. Now is the perfect time to introduce... read more
Teaching 3rd grade computer science with Building Interactive Programs
Third graders need to see that code is more than just static lines of text on a screen.When you start teaching Building Interactive Programs in your 3rd grade computer science block, you are moving away from simple sequence commands and toward the logic that makes... read more
Teaching the Tech-Culture Loop in 3rd Grade Computer Science
A parent once asked me why we spend time discussing how technology shapes lives when they prefer that their student simply focus on typing speed. I told them that knowing how to hit a key is useless if a student does not understand what that technology actually does... read more
Teaching 3rd Grade Computer Science Systems Effectively
When you start teaching 3rd grade computer science, the most common hurdle is the idea that technology just works by magic. A student plugs in a mouse, clicks a button, and the pointer moves on the screen. It is easy to take that connection for granted, but for a... read more