In a Nanobyte
Pros: Children can learn programming concepts before they learn to read. The game is self-guided and sequential and a voiceover prompts children when a new concept is introduced. Comprehensive learning guides provide lesson plans and key vocabulary suited for the younger children.
Cons: The free app only includes 45 levels and additional costs are required for supplementary levels that introduce higher programming concepts such as functions and debugging. Additionally, if you want to organize more than 1 class of 25 students, you will need to purchase a $5 per month subscription to Kodable Teach.
Overall: This app is ideal for introducing computer programming at the Kindergarten level beginning with the free Kodable app.
Cons: The free app only includes 45 levels and additional costs are required for supplementary levels that introduce higher programming concepts such as functions and debugging. Additionally, if you want to organize more than 1 class of 25 students, you will need to purchase a $5 per month subscription to Kodable Teach.
Overall: This app is ideal for introducing computer programming at the Kindergarten level beginning with the free Kodable app.
Product Description
Kodable is a programming game for children between the Kindergarten level and Grade 5. Pre-literate children are able to play Kodable because the game is self-guided and provides a voiceover that prompts children when a new concept is introduced. The platform it plays on is the iPad which was strategically chosen because the touch screen is easy for children to manipulate and does not require the motor skills involved in using a keyboard and a mouse.
You can make in-App purchases for access to two additional worlds: Function Junction and Bugs Below. In Function Junction, children are taught to use functions more than once for smarter coding. Through 30 levels, they also discover how to combine functions and conditions. Bugs Below was designed to recreate what it is like to debug code, a necessary skill for every programmer. In each of the 30 levels, children are presented with a buggy villain to defeat. It appears on the maze where there could be an actual bug in the code. By squishing or avoiding the bug, and getting to the end of the maze, children are successful in debugging the code. Learning guides can be purchased for each of these levels.
There are a few product options available through Kodable. Kodable Teacher is a free app that allows you to set up a class of 25 students. You can track student learning through individual student profiles. In-App purchases are needed for access to Function Junction and Bugs Below. The Kodable Class App costs $5 a month and is designed for classroom use with access to education-only features. The subscription includes access to all 105 levels covering sequence, conditions, loop, functions, and debugging, vocabulary activities and learning guides. Kodable School can be purchased for use in an entire school and provides unlimited access to all that Kodable has to offer.
Learning Potential
The fun, colourful characters and Fuzz family backstory are engaging to children. The reward system of coins, stars and Fuzz characters to collect is enticing and encourages children to keep playing the next level. The sequential steps of using drag and drop commands to guide the fuzzy alien through the maze provides an embodied learning experience in acquiring practical programming knowledge. Kodable and Kodable Teacher are ideal for introducing Kindergarten and Grade 1 children to basic programming concepts of sequence, conditions and loops in the classroom. The free Kodable Learning Guide for Smeeborg is a comprehensive 30 page guide that clearly defines the programming terms and concepts covered that can be then easily taught to young children. Teachers and children will learn programming vocabulary along with the children. This free app develops the logic and problem solving skills required to succeed as programmers. This skill will serve them well as 21st century learners and beyond.
Teacher Use |
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Teachers can use this app to teaching children to think critically and learn to work through problems in a sequential manner. Kodable Class would be a worthwhile investment with the included curriculum for function theory and debugging code. The management tools make it easy to track student progress and save on any iPad. This permits a small number of classroom iPads to be shared amongst a larger number of students. Teachers can lock and unlock levels for their students and log is as a student to help with a particularly challenging maze. Up to t3 classes of 50 students each can be loaded in Kodable Teacher. Kodable School offers unlimited access.
The Parent/Teacher Portal includes valuable lesson plans that include activities that can be done without an iPad such as writing out step-by-step code to have a partner complete an obstacle course. Up-to-date guided tutorials are also available to help teachers get the most out of Kodable and their iPads. The learning guides include vocabulary lessons of spelling and matching activities designed to help children use the correct terms for the concepts in the games they are using. Educators can use the lesson plans to introduce the programming concepts and then the students can work independently on an iPad to acquire the concepts in using the app.
The Parent/Teacher Portal includes valuable lesson plans that include activities that can be done without an iPad such as writing out step-by-step code to have a partner complete an obstacle course. Up-to-date guided tutorials are also available to help teachers get the most out of Kodable and their iPads. The learning guides include vocabulary lessons of spelling and matching activities designed to help children use the correct terms for the concepts in the games they are using. Educators can use the lesson plans to introduce the programming concepts and then the students can work independently on an iPad to acquire the concepts in using the app.