Skip to content
Menu
Learning Technologies
  • Home
  • Web Resources
    • Blogs
      • How To – Blogs & Websites
    • ePortfolios/blogFolios -Communicate Learning
    • Websites – School & District
    • MyEd Teacher Resources
    • O365 Resources
    • Fast ForWord Intervention
  • Bits&Bytes ProD
    • iPad Workflows
    • How to Add APPS to School iPads?
    • Apps Supporting Story
    • Creativation -Digital Story with Green Screen
      • Set Up Your Green Screen Kit
      • How to Create a Video Story
      • Story Examples using Green Screen
    • TEAMS and 365
  • Apps / Software
    • IPAD EVERYTHING
      • Top “22” Apps for 2022
      • How to Add APPS to School iPads?
      • Profiles on iPads Explained
      • iPad Workflows
      • Apps Supporting Story
      • Green Screen – Curiosity Engaged
        • Set Up Your Green Screen
        • How to Create a Video Story
        • Story Examples using Green Screen
        • Creativation – Studio Recordings
    • All The Right Type – ONLINE
    • Audacity
    • Images & Video
    • Inspiration
    • Kidspiration
  • Curricula
    • ADST
      • All The Right Type – ONLINE
      • 3D Design + Printing
      • Coding
        • BeeBots
        • micro:bits
        • Minecraft for Education
        • Spheros
    • All The Right Type – ONLINE
    • Core Competencies
    • Curricular Templates
    • Communicate Learning via Digital Portfolios
    • Digital Literacy
    • Team O365 & Makerspaces Writing
    • Literacy
      • Literature Circles
      • Performance Standards
      • Words Their Way
      • Writing Workshop
        • Assessment Organization
    • Tech Workflows
    • Visual Literacy
    • Project Stories Unfolded
  • Digital Tools Requests
  • Contact
Learning Technologies

Coding

There are many options for learning the foundational skills of coding. Unplugged, plugged, and physical computing activities are all options for exploring early programming. These activities can be integrated into subject areas or serve as stand-alone computer science units, but either way are connected to the Core Competencies of Communication, Thinking, and Personal & Social.

 

Teachers have been engaging students in activities that support computational thinking skills for many years. The four areas of computational thinking are Algorithmic Design, Decomposition, Abstraction, and Pattern Recognition. Reflect on what you already do in your classroom and see if you can shift how you talk about these activities to include vocabulary and concepts of computational thinking.

Check out these websites for lots of great unplugged activities that support computational thinking:

Teaching London Computing Great ideas to use or to inspire; some printables and teacher guides; check out the Kriss-Kross puzzles for logical thinking, or Algorithmic Doodle Art!
Hour of Code by code.org Filter by choosing “No computers or devices” and grade–there are many activities such as Colour By Pixel, or Conditionals with Cards
CS Unplugged Some elementary mini-unit plans about topics such as Binary Numbers; also check out the original site here. A favourite activity is Marching Orders–I like to share this Josh Darnit video about exact instructions
Canada Learning Code Try A Bug in Our Sequence (primary) or Baking with Algorithms (intermediate); The Code’s the Thing (growth mindset) is for any level
Hello Ruby! Based on the books of the same name, this resource offers unplugged, creative and playful approach to introducing computer science to primary learners.

 

Some of these resources will offer scope & sequence and some will be more à la carte. A couple notes for using these resources:

For the resources that feature a teacher account with linked students, be sure to use only first names or “code names” when adding students to your class, as these accounts sit on servers outside of Canada.

Even though many of these resources offer tutorial-based activities, it is important to guide students on their coding journey. Just as you teach to math or writing or social studies concepts, there are teacher guides and lesson notes that will support you in teaching coding. While exploration is an important part of the process, it should not be a free-for-all. Staying focused will help you assess the learning.

Course-Based
Code.org Courses for K-12 students; teacher account with linked student accounts; dashboard to view student progress; lesson plans
Tynker
Teachers have access to three free coding courses. Each course has a variety of lessons, and within each lesson there are a sequence of activities. There are also weekly challenges that can be assigned. Teacher dashboard provides overview of student progress.
MakeCode Intro to CS with MakeCode for Minecraft, MakeCode Arcade, suitable for upper intermediate to secondary learners
Minecraft Education Edition MEE is accessible to all Burnaby O365 users; built-in CS lessons within the app. Find more information here.

 

À la Carte
Hour of Code Filter by subject area, grade level, activity type, language; activities are created to take about an hour; tutorial-based, teacher notes

 

Physical computing is when we get to see our code come alive through hardware! Learning can even extend to creating code to tackle real world problem solving. These resources are available through the Learning Tech team or through the DLRC.

BBC micro:bit A micro computer for learning about how software and hardware work together. Book through Amanda at Learning Tech
Sphero Sprk+ It’s a ball, it’s a robot, it’s a lot of fun! Find lessons and activities here. Kits are available through the DLRC.
BeeBots These little bots are best for K/1 learners; they come with maze mats and control cards; there is also an online emulator. Great for connecting to story workshop–where will your BeeBot go today? Book through the DLRC.
Lego WeDo 2.0 App on school iPad, and WeDo kit from DLRC. Students follow instructions to build a structure, and use block coding to write a program to make it move (i.e., windmill).

 

SUBSCRIBE to OUR SITE

Name

Email


Digital Literacy

Assessment

District Links

  • Apply – Blog/blogFolio/Website
  • Continuing Learning Sharepoint Site
  • District Resources
  • Fast ForWord Program – sd41
  • Informed Consent | Tools/Services
  • MyEd Teacher Resources
  • SD41 Learn Portal -SD Calendar

Content

  • Blogs – HOW TO
  • Blog as Story
  • Websites – School & District
  • IPAD EVERYTHING
    • How to Add APPS to School iPads?
    • Profiles on iPads Explained
    • Top “22” Apps for 2022
    • iPad Workflows
    • Apps Supporting Story
    • Creativation -Digital Story with Green Screen
      • Set Up Your Green Screen Kit
      • How to Create a Video Story
      • Story Examples using Green Screen
      • Creativation – Studio Recordings
  • Assessment Series – Katie White
  • Curricula Templates
  • Digital Citizenship
  • Innovative Teaching & Learning
  • Tools that Make a Difference

Resources - Vetted

  • Art | BigHugeLabs
  • Art | Pixil Art
  • Audio | Online Voice Recorder
  • Comics | MakeBelieve Comics
  • Comics | Toony Tool
  • Converter | Any Video Converter
  • Converter | Photos App
  • Curation | Symbaloo Edu
  • Curation/Collaboaration | Wakelet
  • Curriculum | Core Competencies
  • Curriculum | Curriculum Organizers
  • Curriculum | Curriculum Samples
  • Digital Literacy
  • GreenScreen | Teleprompter
  • Image Editor | Be Funky
  • Image Editor | Image Resize
  • Image Editor | IrfanView
  • Image Editor | LunaPic
  • Image Editor | PhotoPea
  • Image Interactives | Genially
  • Image Search | Pexels
  • Image Search | Pixabay
  • Image Search | Unsplash
  • Literacy | 5 Card Flickr Story
  • Literacy | Comp Mazes Generator
  • Literacy | Reading Generator
  • Literacy | Rewordify
  • Literacy | Visual Poetry
  • Manipulatives | Mathies Learning Tools
  • Manipulatives | Picker Wheel
  • Manipulatives | ToyTheatre
  • Manipulatives | Virtual Manipulatives
  • Mindmap | Gitmind
  • Mindmap | mindmaps
  • Music Search | Bensound
  • Music Search | Noises Online
  • Music Search | Pixabay Music
  • Music Search | Silverman Sound
  • Numeracy | Mathigon
  • Numeracy | Youcubed
  • Podcast | PodBean
  • QR Code Creator
  • Thesaurus | Graphwords
  • Thesaurus | Lexipedia
  • Thesaurus | Visuwords
  • Translation App | Microsoft
  • Whiteboard | Whiteboard.fi
  • Word Cloud | Jason Davies Wordclouds
  • Word Cloud | Word Art

Archives

Contact Our Team

Lucky Saini  (District Vice Principal Educational Technology)

Janet Chow  (Program Consultant Learning Technologies)

Michelle Mactavish  (Education Technology Support Teacher)

Amanda Coutts  (Learning Technologies Helping Teacher)

©2023 Learning Technologies | WordPress Theme by Superbthemes.com