Helping Kids with Coding For Dummies

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: Getting Started with Coding 5 Chapter 1: Welcome To (Or Back To) Coding 7 Why Kids Are Coding 8 What are they learning? 8 How are they learning? 9 What does it mean down the road? 10 Why You Need to Know Coding 11 Fear and loathing (of coding) 11 You may already know more than you think 12 Where Do You Come In? 13 In the classroom 13 Camp or after-school coach 15 Mentor 16 Working with Young Coders 18 Chapter 2: Understanding the Big Ideas 19 Seeing the Big Picture in Coding 19 Acting Out the Big Picture, Unplugged 20 Dramatizing a noncoding process 21 Walking through some daily tasks 22 Creating an Algorithm 23 Turning a picture into words 23 One possible vacuuming algorithm in code 24 Representing Algorithms 26 Acting it out 27 Drawing a picture 27 Creating a storyboard 28 Building a flowchart 28 Writing pseudocode 30 Commenting the bones 31 Organizing with Sequence, Selection, and Repetition 33 Sequence 34 Selection 35 Repetition 36 Including Randomness in Your Coding 38 Chapter 3: Figuring Out Programming Languages 41 What You Want in a Language 42 Free Languages for Tots and Kids 42 The Foos 42 Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar 43 Daisy the Dinosaur 43 Scratch Jr 44 Free Languages for Youth and Tweens 45 Scratch 45 Hopscotch 47 Kodu 47 Languages for Teens and Older 48 Alice 48 MIT App Inventor 2 49 Python 50 JavaScript 53 Java 55 Other Awesome (Not-So-Free) Languages 58 MicroWorlds EX 58 Tynker 58 GameSalad 58 Part 2: Getting Your Hands on Code 61 Chapter 4: Working with Words 63 Communicating with Text 63 Showing Text Onscreen 64 Using pseudocode 64 Using Scratch 64 Using Python 65 Using HTML 66 Using JavaScript in an app 66 Using Java 68 Words In, Words Out 69 Using Scratch 70 Using Python 71 Using HTML and JavaScript 71 Using JavaScript in an app 72 Combining Text Onscreen 74 Using pseudocode 75 Using Scratch 75 Using Python and other languages 75 Formatting Text Onscreen 77 A Mad Libs Example 78 Chapter 5: Knowing Where You Are and Where You’re Going 81 Acting Out Position, Unplugged 82 Setting and Finding Position 85 Using pseudocode 85 Using Scratch to set position 86 Using Scratch to find position 87 Using JavaScript 87 Positioning Objects Randomly 93 Using Scratch 93 Using JavaScript 94 Setting and Finding Direction 95 Using pseudocode 95 Using Scratch 96 Setting Object Direction Randomly 97 Using Scratch 97 Turning 98 Using pseudocode 98 Using Scratch 98 Acting Out Motion, Unplugged 99 Making an Object Move 100 Using pseudocode 100 Using Scratch 101 Using JavaScript 103 Asteroid Blaster 104 Chapter 6: Getting Fancy with Graphics and Sound 107 Sizes of Images and Sounds, Unplugged 108 Activities surrounding images and sounds 108 Knowing your sizes 109 Using Graphics in Your Programs 109 Image file types 109 Creating images 110 Finding images on the web 111 Importing a JPEG or PNG in Scratch 114 Importing a GIF in Scratch 116 Importing a JPEG, PNG, or GIF in JavaScript 117 Adding Sound to Your Programs 117 Sound file types 118 Creating original sounds 118 Finding sounds on the web 119 Importing sounds into Scratch 120 Importing audio into JavaScript 121 Creating a Sound Board 122 Part 3: There is Math on This Test! 125 Chapter 7: Tackling These Ever-Changing Variables 127 Acting Out Variables, Unplugged 127 Variable parts 128 Dramatizing variables 130 I Do Declare (And Initialize) 132 Using pseudocode 132 Using Scratch 133 Using Python 134 Using JavaScript 135 Using Java 136 Checking on Variable Values 137 Using Scratch 138 Using Python 138 Using JavaScript 138 Using Java 140 Incrementing and Decrementing Variables 140 Using pseudocode 140 Using Scratch 141 Using Python 141 Using JavaScript 142 Using Java 142 Creating a Stock Ticker 142 Chapter 8: Computing Using Math 145 Acting Out Math, Unplugged 145 Number types 146 Dramatizing math 146 Doing Simple Math 149 Using pseudocode 149 Using Scratch 149 Using Python 150 Doing Advanced Math Operations 150 Using pseudocode 151 Using Scratch 152 Using Python 153 Oh So Mod — Using the Mod Operation 156 Using pseudocode 157 Using Scratch 157 Using Python 157 Ordering Those Operations (PEMDAS) 157 Using Scratch 158 Using Python 158 Rounding 159 Rounding via casting in Java 160 Rounding decimals to integers via methods 160 Generating and Using Random Numbers 162 Using pseudocode 162 Using Scratch 162 Using Python 163 Coding a Crypto Code Maker 163 Chapter 9: Helping with Logic Operations 167 Simple Logic, Unplugged 167 Programming Simple Conditionals 169 In pseudocode 169 In Scratch 169 In Python 170 In JavaScript 170 In Java 172 Advanced Logic, Unplugged 174 Coding Compound Conditionals (aka, AND, NOT, and OR Will Get You Pretty Far!) 176 In pseudocode 177 Compound conditionals in Scratch 177 In Python 179 In JavaScript 181 In Java 181 Rock, Paper, Scissors 182 Chapter 10: Getting Loopy 185 Loops, Unplugged 185 Repeat fun, unplugged 186 Random loop conditions, unplugged 186 Loop Types and Structures 187 Infinite loops 188 Actions repeated in loops 188 Conditions of loops 188 Using pseudocode 189 Using Scratch 191 Using Python 193 Nesting Loops 196 Using pseudocode 196 Using Scratch 197 Using Python 198 Coding the Classic Fibonacci Sequence 199 Chapter 11: Adding Lists 201 Lists, Unplugged 201 Introducing Lists 203 Using pseudocode 203 Using Scratch 205 Using Java 208 Sorting Lists 215 Selection sort: An easy sorting algorithm 215 Common application: Arranging numbers in order 216 Searching Lists 217 Linear versus binary searching algorithms 217 Common application: Finding a phone number 218 Chapter 12: Coding Subprograms 221 Subprograms, Unplugged 221 Starting with Pseudocode 223 Creating a Spirograph with Subprograms 224 Pseudocode 225 Scratch 225 JavaScript 227 Java 228 Coding Subprograms with Parameters 230 Scratch code block with parameters 230 JavaScript, with parameters 233 Java, with parameters 234 Part 4: Applying What You Know 237 Chapter 13: Fixing Problems by Debugging 239 Debugging, Unplugged 240 Finding Common Syntax Errors 242 Scoping errors 242 Typing errors 243 Incorrect data types 244 Finding Common Semantic Errors 245 Infinite loops 245 Off by one 246 Strategies for Debugging 248 Turning sections on and off 248 Testing sample data 251 Adding output messages 251 Walking Away 253 Chapter 14: Creating a Webpage 255 Getting Set Up 255 Creating a Basic Webpage Layout 261 The skeleton: HTML basics 262 The aesthetics: CSS 265 Getting Fancy with Color and Graphics 272 Adding color to your page 272 Introducing graphics 276 Adding Hyperlinks 278 Going Interactive with JavaScript 280 Adding buttons 280 Changing your page with buttons 282 Combining HTML, CSS, and JavaScript 283 Chapter 15: Building a Mobile Game 289 Getting Started with MIT App Inventor 289 Community and support within MIT App Inventor 291 The layout of MIT App Inventor 292 Using an Emulator versus a Real Device 294 Using the Android Emulator 294 Using a real Android device 295 Testing on the emulator and Android device 295 Designing Mobile Apps 302 Adding the Components in Design View 303 Coding Your Mobile App 306 Getting your puppy moving 306 Setting up your start screen and variables 308 Coding random placement of items 309 Coding collision with items 311 Levels, timers, and final score 312 Distributing Your Apps 315 Chapter 16: Programming Simple Electronics 317 Gathering Your Hardware 317 The micro:bit board 318 Buying the board and components 318 Accessing the Software 320 Navigating the interface 320 Writing and using a program 321 Don’t Wake Baby Gadget 324 Flowcharting the program 324 Writing the code 326 Downloading code to the micro:bit 333 Connecting hardware components 333 Testing the device 334 Trying Wacky and Fun Variations 335 Part 5: The Part of Tens 337 Chapter 17: Ten Do’s and Don’ts for Selecting a Kids Coding Curriculum 339 DO Find the Right Entry Level 340 Getting started in elementary grades 340 Getting started in the middle grades 341 Getting started in high school grades 341 DON’T Assume Cost Equals Quality 343 DO Balance Lessons with Free Exploration 344 DON’T Instantly Dismiss Teaching Languages 344 DO Consult CSTA for Guidance 346 DON’T Buy “Coding” Toys for Babies 346 DO Emphasize the Soft Skills 346 DON’T Let Kids Get Stuck in a Loop 347 DO Present the Bigger Picture 347 DON’T Stereotype Coders 347 Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Keep the Coding Learning Going 349 Unplugged 349 Research Pioneers of Computing 350 Go Lateral from Code 351 Language Tracking 351 Smart Home Projects 352 Include Outside Passions 352 Open-Source Projects 353 Group Projects 354 Community Support 354 Portfolios 355 Index 357