School children all over the world are participating in Hour of Code this week, the phenomenally successful program spearheaded by Code.org. This event is a key element of Computer Science Education Week (#CSEdWeek), an annual program designed to inspire interest in computer science among K-12 children worldwide.
With all eyes on Computer Science this week, be sure to take a look at Level Up Village’s globally collaborative coding courses in web design and game design. Our 8-10 week programs prepare students to join the global workforce by combining cutting-edge STEM with meaningful global collaboration.
- In Global Web Designers, students learn to use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to develop a shared final social awareness project: a website centered on current environmental solutions within their own countries. They learn about hydro, wind, solar, and nuclear power and even touch on statistics in order to understand trends in global climate change. Offered for 3rd-5th & 6th-9th grades, this course includes lessons from code.org and provides students with a clear understanding of website development and problem solving from a global perspective.
- Global Video Game Designers: Available now in three levels (PreK-2nd, 3rd-5th & 6th-8th), this course teaches students to code in a global context. Students learn to use “Scratch,” an introductory programming language that enables children as young as five to create animations and their own interactive games. Each level of this course features age-appropriate coding, logic, math and presentation skills. Students in 3rd grade and higher also co-design a final video game together with their global partners.
In both courses, students do the following:
- Learn coding and programming concepts and techniques
- Discover what daily life is like for their Global Partners
- Collaborate with Global Partners via video message and shared project files
- Present their final designs and evaluate their process
Here’s what teachers and students have to say about LUV’s coding courses:
“The advice I have for kids who do not think they can code is to give it a try! Listen to directions or ask somebody who has already made their own website if you have any questions. It is easier than you think! The funniest moment during the class was when I had to code a gif of a random guy dancing next to my laser-eyed robot. It is funny the things you are able to code once you know how.” – 7th grade student at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School. (See her full story here.)
Two girls at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Houston wrote an article about learning to code in Level Up Village’s Global Web Designers course.
“In the video letters to their partners, my students would suggest specific tasks for their partners in Pakistan to edit, revise, or add to during their next class. For example, during week seven, Kevin asked Maham if she would like to add some Youtube videos to their hydropower website in order to show what the turbines looked like. Because the students were working together on the same website, their collaborative efforts were integral to the success of the project. They had to communicate in order to build a cohesive, quality product.” – Heather Womersley, All Saints Academy (See Heather’s full article here.)
All Saints Academy students coded websites together with partner students at iEARN Pakistan in Global Web Designers. Teacher Heather Womersley wrote about the experience here.
“When using the Scratch game engine in Level Up Village’s Global Video Game Designers course, children introduce bugs into their designs. During our re-creation of the classic game Pong, our failure to accurately track points scored made it impossible to determine a winner. This setback meant reworking Player Two’s entire logic to uncover why points weren’t being added – a small failure that turned into a growth opportunity.” – LUV teacher Jake Parmley (See Jake’s full article here.)
Learning to code Pong is one of many activities in Global Video Game Designers and provides students a chance to learn from failures to improve their games. LUV teacher Jake Parmley writes about it here.
To learn more about Level Up Village’s coding courses, please fill out our contact form and we’ll reach out to you to schedule a call. You can also visit the course pages for Global Video Game Designers and Global Web Designers and read these article about our programs:
Global Video Game Designers:
- New Canaan News: An Unlikely Partnership in New Canaan
- One.org: New education courses virtually connect students from U.S. and Kenya
- Game Design: The Quintessential 21st Century Educational Tool
- How Game Design Fosters a Growth Mindset
- Four Important Skills Kids Develop by Learning Game Design
- Students in Austin and Pakistan Connect & Collaborate on Video Game Design
Global Web Designers:
