5th Grade Coding Club with codecademy.com

Of all the concepts I have introduced this year in the Library, none have been as popular as Coding Club. And by that I mean a day does not go that I am not asked (harassed) by a 10 year old WHEN WE WILL START.

SO here we go! Two days ago I knew NOTHING about coding. Today I know nothing about coding. The research tells me this is ok - jumping in with the kids is the way to go. Which works because that's how we roll in Elementary STEM.

The reason my NOTHING shrunk to to a nothing is www.codecademy.com. In 25 minutes I sputtered through a lesson that gave me a delightful bouncing name - I love it! I actually feel like I get the "concept" of java script and am prepared to keep going.

I really felt accomplished when my name bounced like the tutorial. I also love that the lessons are in a time frame I can actually preview and we can do in our lunch club.

We will begin this Wednesday and my biggest challenge/ heartbreak now is limiting the club to 5 kids. We will be in the Library at lunch and I only have 5 computers. My hope is to recruit some Programmers from OtterBox (via our partnership with OtterCares) to come 2 other days a week and host their branch of the club. 31 kids signed up to participate so it will be rough limiting to such a small number.

THANK YOU, OtterBox

Right before Winter Break, OtterCares, a division of OtterBox visted our school. We were thrilled to have the possibility of a partnership with this local Tech firm (www.otterbox.com). Little did we know that not only was this the beginning of such a partnership but a trip with purpose! OtterCares gifted us that day with 25 iPads for our school AND OtterBox cases for each iPad in our school. Can you say Holiday Miracle? We can not express how grateful we are as a staff to grow our Technology reach.

Thankfully, kids are far better at that so we left it to the professionals. This morning I had the chance to visit OtterCares with my Principal and deliver some Thank Yous right from the mouths of students.

Our 4/5 Classes knocked it out of the park with this Thank You!! This giant 2' x 3' iPad is filled with Gratitude Apps designed by our students. Once you scan the QR code you get a chance to see their Thank You Dance.

I could not help myself and had to laminate these rules our Kinders created for their new iPads. The sincerity behind #3 is real!

1B created this iMovie slideshow highlighting their Thank You Letters. My favorite pictures show the friends sharing letters.

My upside down 3A Thank You was created from www.tagxedo.com after the kids brainstormed how they could thank OtterBox.

Why NOT finish upside down? 1A created this interactive writing and we attached the QR Code to show the read aloud portion.