In a Nanobyte
Pros: Lightbot teaches programming concepts as procedures, loops, conditionals, and overloading. Student program robots using icons, so you are actually programming when you are playing the puzzle game Lightbot!
Cons: The App costs $2.99 if you want to access all of the levels. The App uses icons, so students don't learn a coding language, only programming concepts. The challenges escalate quickly.
Overall: A great way for students to engage with programming concepts and get hooked on coding! Perfect for introducing coding concepts.
Cons: The App costs $2.99 if you want to access all of the levels. The App uses icons, so students don't learn a coding language, only programming concepts. The challenges escalate quickly.
Overall: A great way for students to engage with programming concepts and get hooked on coding! Perfect for introducing coding concepts.
Product Description
Lightbot is a programming puzzle game that teaches students how to tell a computer what to do with a series of basic commands and gain the general process by which computer programs are written.
Completing one level unlocks a more challenging level that introduces new programming concepts. Students collect stars for meeting certain requirements, such as completing the program in the specified number of steps.
This very challenging puzzler does a fabulous job of teaching kids programming concepts. The level of challenge ramps up very quickly, so younger kids may enjoy more programming playtime with Lightbot Jr. Kids get as many chances as they need to be successful, though, and they'll learn from each failure.
Completing one level unlocks a more challenging level that introduces new programming concepts. Students collect stars for meeting certain requirements, such as completing the program in the specified number of steps.
This very challenging puzzler does a fabulous job of teaching kids programming concepts. The level of challenge ramps up very quickly, so younger kids may enjoy more programming playtime with Lightbot Jr. Kids get as many chances as they need to be successful, though, and they'll learn from each failure.
Product Options
Lightbot has 4 Apps for Ipad and Android devices. One Hour Coding and One Hour Coding '14 are both free and are designed for students aged 9 to 18. For access to all levels, pay $2.99 For even younger students, there's Lighbot Jr!
Learning Potential
Lightbot teaches a few specific coding constructs, common to many programming languages. The technical terms for those are:
- Sequential Control Flow: Commands get executed one after the other.
- Procedures: Blocks of code for taking advantage of re-usable patterns.
- Loops: Blocks of code specifically used for patterns that repeat, or 'loop'.
- Debugging: Running and re-running a program, testing solutions, fixing mistakes.
Teacher Use
Lightbot offers resources for educators! They provide teachers with a guide to to basic programming lessons taught in the game and offer solutions, so teachers can support students as they begin the learning process. Lightbot also supports and promotes Hour of Code, a global movement, where students learn to code, reaching tens of millions of students in 180 countries. This event is held December 8-14th worldwide!
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