Flappy Bird
This week in educational technology, we discussed the learning opportunities that coding can offer in the classroom. To start off my reflection, I would like to share the intricate and detailed coding I computed for a Flappy Bird game. Although I was quite familiar with the game, as it came out when I was in high school, it was interesting and fun to understand how the game worked and how I could use different coding techniques to make my own version of Flappy Bird.
I’ve often associated coding as a combination of technology and math, which has made it quite intimidating for me. Before learning about coding in our Ed Tech class, I probably would’ve never introduced coding in my classroom. However, now that I’ve been exposed to how simple and fun it can be, I think I might reconsider my choice.
Coding with Students
As I plan to teach middle school students (and also entering my first practicum in a Grade 6 class), I feel like it would be very useful to introduce simple coding to my students. As they are beginning to reach an age where they are thinking about their interests and how it might lead them to their future career, introducing coding might spark some students’ attention, especially if it is their first time being exposed to it.
Scratch
Coding with Scratch is a great introduction as its difficulty of coding techniques can vary. It allows students to be creative, have fun, and inquire about coding. Students can also easily share their codes on Scratch with their classmates to play their games and discuss their different techniques.
Problem Solving
Coding can also help students become better problem solvers. If a code isn’t working how you’d like it to, you must find the root of the issue to understand the problem and continue moving forward. If a student is struggling to understand a math problem because it is a bit wordy and overwhelming, it can be helpful for them to read the problem, little by little, and attempt to understand it in steps rather than blindly guessing how to answer it. The same technique can be used in coding. If a code does not seem to be computing properly, it is more helpful to re evaluate each code step by step rather than continuously attempting another code until it works.
