Unlocking Superpowers: Try an Hour of Code 2019

Written by Xyra Sace, BSD Education

If you could be a superhero, which superpowers would you want to have? Superman’s strength and eye beams? Elsa’s ability to create and manipulate snow? Scarlet Witch’s reality-warping powers?  There are so many types of superpowers that we see in movies and fairytales that get us excited and wonder about alternate universes. 

We often forget that we, too, can be superheroes with superpowers in our own ways, right here on Earth. We may not be as “cool” as Superman with beams shooting out of our eyes but we have to remember that these superpowers aren’t what makes a superhero. 

A superhero, in the most basic definition, is someone who helps solve problems for or with other people. They use their innate or acquired abilities and what they know to contribute to the community however they can. 

Whether you’re a teacher who inspires and teaches students the knowledge and skills they need, a pilot who ensures everyone’s safety, or a parent who nurtures the growth and development of their kids, we have all been superheroes making solutions for various scenarios and issues we see and encounter.

In our digital world, we’ve seen numerous possibilities with Technology. We’ve built electric cars to better our air pollution, bullet trains that can take you from countries A to B in 2 hours, apps that allow you to stay in contact with anyone at any time, and many more. Technology has allowed us to solve many problems, to be superheroes and use our superpowers to make an impact. And the best part about it is anyone, at any age and any time can learn it.

For this Hour of Code, we found it to be the best opportunity for you to unlock the Superpowers of Technology with your students and learn the basics of code in just an hour!

We’ve released a free, step-by-step project that you can access on our learning platform BSD Online, at any time from December 9th, as well as this article/guide to show you how easy it is to run in the classroom.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Project:

“Life Below Water”

The 15-step project focuses on raising awareness of Life under the sea by building a basic webpage about it that they can share with family and friends. 

Learn Coding languages (Superpowers):

HTML and CSS. These are real languages developers use that allow them to build websites and games.

Guide (Click to Jump In):
  1. Getting Started
  2. Finding the Project
  3. Getting Familiar with BSD Online
  4. Customizing Your Online Learning Environment
  5. Finishing the Project
  6. Saving Your Work
  7. Sharing With Family and Friends
—-

 

Getting Started:

BSD Online can easily be accessed on any browser, preferably Google Chrome. It is fully equipped for teachers and students and has been used by hundreds of teachers to integrate Technology Education into their classrooms and subjects. 

Head to BSD Online at https://app.bsd.education/

 

Finding the project:

Under “Life Below Water” under “Projects”.

After opening the project, it will give you an introduction to the importance of protecting our seas and oceans. Feel free to use this as a thought-provoking starter with your students!

It will also show you what your students will be able to make by the end of the project.

 

Getting Familiar with BSD Online:

BSD Online has 3 main parts – 

The Instruction Panel

You may find step-by-step instructions here. You will find “Glossary” buttons where it shows interactive flashcards introducing certain concepts and examples of code. 

Glossary Cards:

To complete a step, you and your students will need to read the instructions, follow it, and ensure all objectives are met. Click on “check objectives” to do so. It helps confirm if the right code has been inputted and whether you can move on to the next step.

The Coding Panel

This is where you and your students will input your code. The instructions will mention which “lines” (the numbers on the left) to write code in, and which languages to use (between HTML and CSS).

For guidance, code that does not need to be changed will be locked. BSD Online will direct you to the line you need to add code in.

The Output Panel

This is where you and your students will see the results of your code. It can be refreshed every time a step is completed or by pressing the green circular button on the bottom right.

 

Customizing Your Online Learning Environment

You and your students can also customize your own settings to personalize your online learning environment. You can change the size of the text, use dark or light mode, toggle auto-refresh output panel and more.

 

Finishing the Project

Go ahead and finish all 15-steps with your students! If you come across any problems or issues, feel free to email us directly at info@bsd.education.

At the end of the project, it will give you a summary of all the coding and design concepts learned. You may also check out the output result on desktop versus mobile.

On the instructions panel under Summary, the project also allows you to bring it to “Sandbox Mode”. Sandbox Mode is where you and your students can independently further customize your projects with the concepts you’ve learned. All code is unlocked.

Here’s a student project that was winter-themed to raise awareness of the effects of Global Warming in Antarctica!

 

Saving Your Work:

If you would like to save your project, BSD Online will prompt you to create an account. Go ahead and “Use Your Google Account” if your school uses Gmail or create one with Email Address and Password.

 

Sharing with Family and Friends:

Feel free to share it with friends, families and colleagues through your unique project link or QR code!

We hope you and your students enjoy unlocking the Superpowers of coding and inspire you to create and build various solutions! Send us you and your students’ completed project links at info@bsd.education or tag us on Twitter or Linkedin with #BSDSuperpowers2019, and we could feature your work in our social media and next newsletter!

What you need to know about the “Hour of Code”

Written by Mo Qureshi of BSD Education

 

All Your Questions on the “Hour of Code” Answered

 

What is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code is designed to show that anybody can learn the basics of code and to broaden participation in the field of computer science and technology.

 

When is the Hour of Code?

The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. This year Computer Science Education Week will be from 3rd to 9th December. But you can host an Hour of Code all year-round by registering on the Hour of Code website.

 

Why is the Hour of Code important?

Learning to code helps develop problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. Coding requires attention to detail, patience, and develops computational thinking skills and creativity.

 

There must be more to the “Hour of Code” than picking up skills?!

The skills are really not what we think is important about the Hour of Code, and you have likely already heard and read all the information extolling the virtues of the mindsets and methodologies of technology development before.

The important part about the “Hour of Code” is about giving as many young people the opportunity to try creating technology for themselves.

 

Why is it important to try creating with technology?

It’s true that most students won’t become programmers, and the reality is that only a small minority of jobs are even full-time programming jobs.

The important point is that all students will not only be using technology in their jobs in the future, but that it will be a fundamental requirement to become employed in a majority of cases.

Trying to create with technology is critical for everyone to have equal access to opportunity in the future.

 

How can understanding technology start a student’s pathway to opportunity?

Understanding the building blocks of technology, learning to code as we say, is a huge help in being able to understand the world around us and how technology is used and applied. Through this, it’s easier for young learners to think about what their greatest interests are for the careers that they will pursue in the future, as well as the technology that will evermore surround and be ubiquitous to every aspect of their lives. Identifying interests is an important first step to developing the passion to pursue them.

 

Why is technology so crucial to equal opportunity in the future?

For many years, the aspirations and dreams of young people have often been predicated on their grades, having a degree and even sadly the name or brand of the institution where they studied.

 

Fortunately, a world that is being driven by technology can be a world of innovation and creativity. You might have heard of the “Innovation Economy”. This will be driven by technology. Through technology, opportunity will be driven not by where it was learned or what grade was achieved, but by what has been delivered and whether it is something people like or choose to use. Opportunity in our future technology reality is not even about being present, people will be able to deliver from anywhere.

What unifies careers and access to opportunity for as many people as possible and particularly those that struggle to realise their dreams because they are in underserved communities, is technology. The ability to create it, apply it and solve problems for others with it.

Without experience of technology at a young age, without the ability to try to create, write a little code even, the door to these opportunities might never seem open and the reality of success might seem unattainable and distant.

The “Hour of Code” being experienced by everyone is not about groundbreaking new discoveries during an hour next week, it’s about levelling the playing field, making a future with tech seem less frightening and more attainable, and laying the groundwork for everyone to have the opportunity to all work towards groundbreaking and exceptional futures together. For the simple chance of realising this, an “Hour of Code” is an excellent investment.

What do I need to know to join the Hour of Code?