Creation Crate Archives

My son has a growing interest in computer programming and computer science. I have thereby scoured the internet in search of quality materials that are engaging and inexpensive.

Computer Science Education Week (December 5-11, 2016) is almost here. You’ll find a wealth of resources at Code.org®. Together with the resources listed below, you are guaranteed to have material and inspiration to teach computer science and programming all year-round.

This annual program is dedicated to inspiring K-12 students to take interest in computer science. Originally conceived by the Computing in the Core coalition, Code.org® organizes CSEdWeek as a grassroots campaign supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide.

5 Free Computer Programming Courses for Kids

Microsoft and Mojang are announcing the all-new Minecraft Hour of Code Designer, a tutorial that lets students code their own Minecraft rules. This year, students can use code to control how animals and other Minecraft creatures behave—they can create a totally unique Minecraft experience, and then share it with friends or play it on their phones!

hourcode_minecraft A collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy, Pixar in a Box is designed especially for students in middle and high school. This free course sponsored by Disney, is a series of video lessons, interactive exercises, and hands-on activities.The course materials enable students to discover how the academic concepts they learn in school enable Pixar filmmakers to create new worlds, animate unique characters, and tell stories through animation.

If you are planning an Hour of Code event, be sure to signup and and look through the variety of tutorials and resources available for your students!

Tickle is easy to learn, fun to use, yet powerful enough for university courses and research projects. Experience the magic of programming drones, robots, smart homes, and Arduino, all wirelessly. You can even create custom robots by adding Arduino-based sensors and motors.

With Scratch, you can create your own interactive games, stories, animations — and share them with your friends. Get started by animating your name, creating a holiday card, or making a pong game.

Codecademy is an interactive, student-guided introduction to the basics of CS through JavaScript that’s used by tens of millions of students around the world. With accompanying quizzes, slides, and a completed project for students at the end, this is a perfect computer programming course for high school students.

Computer Programming Kits & Resources

Computer programming and coding are not the only areas of career opportunity in the field of computer science. Computer science is the study of the theory, experimentation, and engineering that form the basis for the design and use of computers.

Piper is a complete DIY kit that provides kids with the chance to not only build their first computer but also learn about electronics along the way. Best of all, the kit grows with them. Included is the popular Raspberry Pi computer that budding makers can use in a variety of other projects.

Another exciting option is a monthly subscription box from Creation Crate, designed to help youth learn about electronics. Surprisingly, this box isn’t just for kids – it’s suitable for anyone age 12+ who wants to learn or enhance their electronics and coding skills. It’s fun and definitely educational!

Learn to modify the Minecraft game with Youth Digital’s Mod Design 1, a year-long online course that teaches kids programming with Java. Kids learn to code their own Minecraft mod from start to finish and watch as the end result becomes a unique, shareable Minecraft mod that they built from scratch. This course is currently available at a steep discount through Educents.

5 More Free Online Computer Programming Courses

TheNewBoston is arguably the single best resource for anyone who wants to become a Programmer. The tutorials in this channel cover a range of different programming topics including developing for android and Web design. Bucky Roberts is the guy who manages the channel and teaches the lessons using a teaching style best described as entertaining and simple. His coding tutorials are very easy for almost anyone of any age to grasp. This channel should be on your list for sure.

Derek Banas is a Youtube content creator who is very famous for his ” Programming language in a single video “series. Just as the title of that playlist implies, Banas explains the core concepts of a programming language in just one video. Among the content, you will find videos like Learn Java script in 30 Minutes and Learn the Ruby Programming Language in One Video. He explains a wide range of programming topics with content that includes thorough guides on PHP, along with MySQL and Java.

Pre-teens love Minecraft. Learn how to engage them in multiple subject areas with this Ultimate Guide to Teaching with Minecraft.

Treehouse is a educational resource established with the mission of providing affordable education. Treehouse offers lessons on numerous topics including coding in C# and Python. The videos are delivered in a casual and a easy-to-understand style by a variety of presenters. The channel’s content also includes the Treehouse Show, which is a roundup of web development and programming news along with helpful tips and interviews.

Learncode.academy is a great source for anyone who wishes to learn Web designing. In this channel, you will be walked through topics like jQuery and JavaScript in Stern’s efficient and thorough style. The channel’s trailer is one of his most popular videos and provides web development career advice. This video outlines the paths that you can take on your way to becoming a professional web developer along with the order in which you have to learn things.

The tutorials at ProgrammingKnowledge are specifically geared for new programmers and range from an Android tutorial for beginners to Python, Java, and C++. Among the resources is a C programming tutorial that is considered the best course in that language that you will find anywhere. The channel (along with ProgrammingKnowledge blog) are owned by Yogesh Patel. The sheer number of videos (over 1,000) that are geared towards beginners makes this one of the first channels that anyone who wants to get into coding should bookmark.

University Courses in Computer Science & Programming

Stanford’s CS 101 class taught by Nick Parlante teaches the essential ideas of computer science for a zero-prior-experience audience. Play and experiment with short bits of code to bring to life to the power and limitations of computers. CS101 also provides a general background on computers today: what is a computer, what is hardware, what is software, what is the internet.

Harvard College’s CS50x offers an introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming for majors and non-majors alike, with or without prior programming experience. Topics include abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development. Languages include C, PHP, and JavaScript plus SQL, CSS, and HTML.

My son has a growing interest in computers and programming. It was thereby no surprise when he recently shared that he wanted to hear the Boy Scout Programming Merit Badge, which debuted in 2013. We thereby reached out to the computer science teacher at the local high school and inquired if she would be willing to serve as his merit badge counselor.

There are several activities required of the scout to earn the Programming Merit Badge. Requirement number 5 requires scouts to choose three different programming languages and development environments. Then, write, debug, and demonstrate a functioning program in each to their counselor.

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Programming with Creation Crate

The first project Jeffrey chose to undertake was coding in C++ with Creation Crate, a monthly subscription kit a monthly subscription box to help you learn about electronics.

Creation Crate is hosting a giveaway for a 1 year subscription to Creation Crate this month. The contest will run until the end of November 24. Enter to win!

The Creation Crate kit includes both the hardware of electronics and the programming aspect. Each monthly delivery comes in a sturdy box with all of the components wrapped carefully in bubble wrap. Because of the programming required, you will also need a computer or laptop to download and use the Arduino software. The intended age range is accurate, I would say, especially if kids have electronics-building experience (or a parent nearby). The projects start relatively simple and get harder as you go through the boxes.

When the Creation Crate kit arrived, Geneva was also very intrigued. They thereby agreed to collaborate, dividing the work between themselves. Geneva carefully assembled the hardware, whereby Jeffrey focused on the coding. This was his first time programming any sort of electronics with actual software code, as opposed to just circuits, so it was both challenging and fun.

It wasn’t always easy, however. When Jeffrey ran into trouble with the code, it took several adults to overlook everything before we caught the errors in the code. He enjoyed the process so much he is interested in trying additional Arduino projects on his own.

This was a fantastic box and perfect for anyone who wants to tinker with Arduino projects but isn’t sure where to start. This box isn’t just for kids – it’s suitable for anyone age 12+ who wants to learn or enhance their electronics and coding skills.

With a longer term subscription the price lowers and shipping is free worldwide. EVERY BOX comes with an Uno R3, which is a $25 board. EVERY BOX. This is great as it means that you will not have to disassemble the projects you’ve previously completed.

Don’t forget, Creation Crate is hosting a giveaway for a 1 year subscription to Creation Crate this month. The contest will run until the end of November 24. Enter to win!

Creation Crate Archives - Eva Varga

Top 10 { FREE } Online Courses to Learn Computer Programming