How Coding Projects Promote Design Thinking

When it comes to Technology Education at BSD, we hope to inspire students to create with technology and highlight the importance of developing solutions that solve real-world problems. Making any new technology should be rooted in a solid purpose to help people. We emphasize this by weaving technology education projects into all subjects and infusing them with Design Thinking skills. 

Design Thinking is a process for solving problems creatively. The three core pillars of Design Thinking are

  1. Empathy — Understanding the needs of those you’re designing for.
  2. Ideation — Generating a lot of ideas. While brainstorming is one technique, there are many others.
  3. Experimentation — Testing those ideas with prototyping. 

Design Thinking helps capture people’s needs, possibilities, and ideas for an advanced human-centered solution or product.

Let’s see how we prepare students on their Design Thinking skills via BSD programs of learning. 

All of our courses end with creating a project for a specific use. This motivates students to learn about their end-users, their demographics, and how they will use the project efficiently. This helps foster students’ empathy – starting the process of Design Thinking. 

After understanding the end-users, students will start to code their projects. Students learn the basics of coding and other coding topics, depending on the topic and level of the course. Based on the requirements of the project, students may learn additional technical skills like designing characters or logos, understand color theory or branding, or even writing copy for their project. 

Moreover, students should share and test their prototypes with their peers and, if possible, with some end users using an automated URL or QR code. This helps them get real-time feedback and adjust their project based on the response.

For instance, students must share their games with their classmates for testing and feedback in our Game Development course. Based on feedback, students may add new challenges, stages, characters, update the scoring system, or rewrite the gameplay.

As in any game, the experience of the users is key to its success. So, while their peers are trying the game, they are asked to observe how it’s being played and request feedback.

Students will then need to consider the feedback they receive and learn to exercise their judgment as to what will ultimately be a compromise between the features they like versus the feedback they have received on what the users want.

Finally, based on the observations and peer feedback, students can determine how they can continue to improve their projects to test them again. However, this testing and feedback cycle is not limited to a single cycle. Instead, it’s repeated as often as needed to make the game perfect – emulating the Design Thinking process of prototyping -> testing -> tweaking -> testing. This is excellent preparation for their lives as a whole and an excellent exercise in giving and receiving feedback.

With technology becoming ubiquitous, it is an increasing and urgent responsibility to teach our students that technology is not the solution to problems but tools people use to solve problems. Therefore, to effectively solve problems, technologies should be built to keep the people using them at the center; employing Design Thinking skills helps achieve precisely this.

Project Highlight: Mathematics Trivia Game

BSD Education’s comprehensive teacher training and support, ready-made curriculum, and online-learning software platform (BSD Online) allow us to provide project-based technology education like no other! Our online platform offers projects with step-by-step guides which allow students to code and create a variety of projects including their very own website, 2D mini game, or even a mobile app.

One example of a great project is our Mathematics Trivia Game, which is currently available on BSD Online. It is one of the many projects housed under our TechConnected curriculum for students aged 8 to 14, and also includes tech projects for English, Science, Geography, Humanities and Languages. Our projects are
aligned to US/UK/IB curricula, and are also mapped to ISTE/CSTA standards.

Now let’s look at the Mathematics Trivia Game in detail:

What is it?

The Mathematics Trivia Game is a short 8-step project on how to create a trivia game. Using a list of multiple-choice questions, it is designed to test a player’s math knowledge. Students are guided on how to add their own questions, as well as program the correct answers that players need to provide in order to score a point.

What do students learn?

To create their trivia game, students first need to learn how to use JavaScript – a coding language used to make a webpage more interactive. Learning code and immediately putting it into practice with a fun project develops students’ computational thinking, logic, and problem-solving skills. It also encourages them to pay attention to detail and be creative.

How can students use it?

This project is a unique and creative way for students to summarize their learning, or as a fun way to review for a test – students can even play each other’s trivia games to reinforce new concepts learned during math class!

After completing the project steps, students are offered the opportunity to further customize their Mathematics Trivia game – they can add more questions, add additional answer options, change the visual display of the quiz itself, and even change the topic of the quiz from math to history!

If you’re interested in bringing the Mathematics Trivia Game project into your classroom, or if you’d like more information on our tech curricula, feel free to contact us! We offer prep guides which assist teachers on how to use and teach this project in class without requiring any prior coding experience.

Advantages of Real World Technology Camps: Build a 2D Mini Game Camp

In the current digital era, there is no denying that video games are among the most popular pastimes for people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. For children, many of them will tell you that playing games is one of their favourite hobbies! However, many have only ever experienced games as a player.

By attending a camp to Build a 2D Mini Game, not only will kids get to work on a project related to one of their interests, but learning to build a 2D mini game helps foster both tech skills and soft skills that will greatly benefit them in the future – both in school and beyond.

Let’s take a look at some of the real-word skills your child will learn if he/she/they enroll for an 2D Mini Game Camp here at BSD Education:

Coding

To build a 2D web game, students will learn to code using languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Our 2D Mini Game camp focuses heavily on JavaScript, a programming language used to add logic, interactivity, and behaviour to a game. For example, JavaScript is used to add a point system, create animations, or to make images on a screen that respond to a mouse click or keystroke. Learning to code fosters patience and helps develop computational thinking skills.

Problem-Solving

Building a 2D mini game with code means that children will commonly run into challenges with their game, such as points not being added correctly, a button not responding to a mouse click, or a character on the screen is moving up instead of down. Kids will quickly learn that encountering bugs is a common process when coding, and that they will need to be organized, adaptable, and resourceful in order to come up with a variety of solutions. This will include checking their coding syntax, researching by themselves online for a fix, or rearranging their code in a different way.

Design (User Interface and User eXperience)

Building a 2D Mini Game encourages children to develop their skills in design. Children must think about how and where to place components – such as text and buttons – on the screen in a way that makes for a visually pleasing interface. They must also think about the emotionally rewarding and challenging aspects of their game that may encourage or discourage further gameplay. This design process helps to nurture empathy and adaptability in kids, as they will need to place themselves in the mindset of their players.

Attention to Detail

Throughout the process of building their 2D mini game, kids will learn that they will need to be diligent, thorough, and focused when working on every aspect of their game. They must make sure that their coding syntax is correct, or map out the game flow and logic of to account for all the different scenarios that players will encounter.

Technology camps are a unique, eye-opening, and engaging way for children to pursue their interests in  a collaborative environment and make new friends, learn new skills, and be exposed to a variety of disciplines. At the end of a camp, children will leave with a greater appreciation of the technology that is so deeply ingrained in their daily lives, and will get to proudly showcase to their friends and family, a game that they programmed by themselves.

The gaming industry is among the fastest growing industries today that will be even bigger in childrens’ futures. Learning to build games helps equip children with digital skills that are the foundation for exploring other areas of tech, such as app development, animation, graphic design, and web development.

If you are interested in bringing our Build a 2D Mini Game Camps into your school, let us know by contacting us here.

Enrichment Programs: What and Why

Students could try new things, explore hobbies, and build skills outside of the classroom through enrichment programs. Activities can range from sports to cooking, from drawing to coding. All you need is a passionate teacher or an external instructor to run an activity that your students will like. Another option you can consider is to challenge your students and get them to run their own activities.

For example, we helped a student at Hong Kong’s South Island School launch an after-school code club. It’s been incredibly successful and he now has a waiting list!  

Enrichment programs are not just something that fills the time between school and home though. They have several advantages and allow students to pursue interests outside of the classroom or try something new. Some of the most valuable skills students can achieve are self-motivation, self-discipline, and self-awareness. Learning outside the classroom also gives students the opportunity to experiment and take risks with no implications.

They are neither graded or compared to classmates, so students can make mistakes and learn from them. This in turn will build students’ confidence as they learn new skills and immerse themselves in new experiences.

Although activities may take place outside the classroom, their benefits will follow your students into their studies. According to “After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their Potential and What It Takes to Achieve It” published by Harvard Family Research Project, many studies “repeatedly underscore the impact of supporting a range of positive learning outcomes, including academic achievement, by affording children and youth opportunities to learn and practice new skills through hands-on, experimental learning.”

These benefits are all true of our experience at BSD. We offer programs at our own space in Hong Kong and at a large number of schools in both Hong Kong and Philadelphia. As after-school programs are in a student’s own time, we know it’s important to provide an educational but also fun and sociable environment. We particularly focus on collaboration and teamwork as our programs often bring together students from a range of different backgrounds and age groups. As a result, we have found that students participating in enrichment activities not only build technical knowledge but also develop vital future skills such as working collaboratively with new people, problem-solving, and presentation skills. You can find out more about what we offer here.

Enrichment programs are a great way to encourage students to follow their passions, develop new interests, and build new skills. You should think about the activities you can offer and inspire your students to try something different.

Advantages of Real World Technology Camps: App Development

Technology camps are a creative and inspiring way to expose children to a variety of real-world skills that will benefit them in the future. Not only will they be learning something new, but technology camps also allow children to explore areas of interest that they may not have experienced at home or at school.

In our current digital era, people of all ages use apps every day intrinsic to their ways of life in their daily lives. However, what is an app exactly? Why do people choose to build apps instead of websites? What does it take to build an app? What makes an app “great”? These are all questions that kids will have the opportunity to explore by attending App Development Camps.

Beyond simply learning how to code, creating a mobile app also encourages children to foster skills in a variety of areas. This includes tech-related skills such as programming, UX (user experience) design, UI (user interface) design, and soft skills such as creativity, resilience, computational thinking, and communication.

Let’s take a look at some of the real-world skills your child will learn if he/she/they enroll for an App Development Camp:

Coding

To build an app, students will learn to code using languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, as well as using coding “libraries” and “frameworks” (these are large bodies of code create by teams of professionals to make complicated but frequently used things we want to create easier and faster to build). Learning how to code teaches kids computational thinking, adaptability, organization, and also how to be focused and thorough when completing tasks – that’s because one small error in your coding syntax might cause a bug in your app!

Problem-solving

Throughout the process of building their app, children will encounter challenges such as their code not working, not knowing how to make their code perform a specific action, or not understanding specific parts of their code. This means that they will have to devise different solutions, whether that’s collaborating with their peers, researching online, or figuring out how to synthesize the coding syntax that they’ve learned to test a different approach.

Fosters empathy

Deciding to create an app means that developers must place themselves in the shoes of their users, and adopt a variety of perspectives. Developers must consider a number of questions, such as: “Will my app be easy to use?”, “Why will people want to use my app?”, “Who will want to use my app?” and “What problem(s) will my app help solve?”. The success of an app depends on the experience of its users, and kids will learn that app development is not about creating an app for themselves, but rather, apps can be solution and community-driven, and are built to solve problems and help others.

Communication

At the end of a BSD App Development Camp, all the kids are required to present their app – what they built, why they built it, and how they built it. Not only does this allow them to reflect on their entire camp experience as a whole, but presentations help build confidence by showcasing their hard work, improve their public speaking skills, and demonstrate to them that their work is valued and recognized.

Technology is ingrained in nearly every aspect of our lives today. Learning to build apps is a fun, engaging, and unique activity that exposes children to a variety of disciplines empowers them with digital skills required to succeed in the future and deepens their understanding of the world around them. They are able to socialize and make new friends in a fun and collaborative environment and create an app that they can take home to show their friends and family that might even solve a problem for their community, or be a unique portfolio piece for a school, college, internship or job application in the future.

If you are interested in bringing our App Development Camps into your schools, let us know by contacting us here.

Your Questions About Enrichment Programs: Answered

What are Technology “Enrichment” or “After School” Programs?

Technology focused after school enrichment programs are geared towards kids mastering the key skills and competencies of technology like computational thinking, design thinking, problem solving, and communication skills in an engaging, fun and team oriented environment. Absolutely no prior  experience needed!

What makes a great Enrichment Program?

Rather than a lesson in the school day, in after school or enrichment time, enrichment classes are in the students’ time. So while they are taking their first steps into the world of technology through e.g. computer programming and applying digital skills to be creative with technology, they need to really be immersed in experiencing first-hand the incredible world of possibilities that tech provides in a way that is fun and exciting.

How do you select a theme for Enrichment Programs and how long should they last?

The best themes for Enrichment Programs spark student’s imagination around the possibilities of Tech with contextually relevant applications in their everyday life.  While you should always be careful not to misrepresent the activities and outcomes in a program, there is no reason why real world themes can’t be fun and engaging for students and connect to their interests!  

Similarly, the duration of an after school program should balance the minimum time needed to create intended projects, with the constraints and potential unforeseen changes that sometimes come up during the course of the school year calendar.  We’ve found that after school programs should run between 1 to a maximum of 2 hours per session and need a minimum of 5 hours in total for students to have an ideal experience and really create something they can take away and be proud of.

When scheduling, it is important to be mindful of potential conflicts in the school calendar that can disrupt and/or impact students experience negatively.  An example of this is winter break over the calendar new year which while a relatively short, is still long enough of a break that it can derail student’s progress and learning in a weekly program.  For situations like this we instead try to schedule a program to wrap up prior to the winter break (even if it means shortening a program) and then start a new session in mid-January when students have already gotten back into the swing of school.

There is all sorts of technology out there, how do you balance between the latest thing but providing something that is accessible?

Tech themed after school programs should always prioritize equity and access over the latest thing. The latest craze is also often expensive to deliver and becomes obsolete very quickly. While media coverage may portray new Tech breakthroughs as life altering, the reality is often that ‘the latest things’ typically take years at best to deliver an educative experience for k-12 students.

An example of this paradox are 3D Printers, which despite coming onto the market more than 10 years ago are still rarely utilized in school settings because there is no coherent curriculum for them and it’s hard to see how their value can maintained on a long term basis.

Finally, we find the best balance is also to incorporate tools as the focal point of learning that are also free of affordable to buy at home, as these allow students the opportunity to continue learning and creating on their own should they wish.

What type of people make the best teachers for Enrichment Programs?

Contrary to popular belief, the most important aspect for technology enrichment program instructors is not a strong background in CS or Technology. Instead, we have consistently found that experience and confidence  teaching, coupled with an open mind for learning new ideas are the two most important traits when looking for a tech program instructor.  Regardless of a candidate’s age or background, it is much easier to train someone how to teach Tech curricula than it is in how to effectively manage a classroom, build inspiring relationships with students and empower them to strive towards their full potential.   

What about parents? What is the best way to keep them informed and help them understand or be excited about what is being created?

While students are not the primary target audience for the content taught in after school programs it is Important to always make sure parents or guardians are kept in the loop throughout.  

BSD keeps parents updated with a series of email updates prior, mid-way and at the conclusion of programs that provide information about instructors, project themes and instructions on how they can see their child’s work, as well as how their child can share his or her work with them.

Finally parents are always invited to attend the second half of the final class to see what their child has been creating in the end of course demo.


Advantages of Real World Technology Camps: Robotics with Micro:bit

What is a micro:bit?

A micro:bit is a pocket-sized microcontroller designed by the BBC to enhance technology education in schools. With its versatile features, it can be programmed using JavaScript, Python, or block code. At BSD Education’s technology camps, students harness the power of micro:bit to build innovative projects like gaming consoles, fitness trackers, wearables, and more.

Using micro:bit, students develop valuable skills like design thinking, prototyping, coding, and working with materials and electronics. They also learn the importance of collaboration while creating their projects.

A micro:bit is a pocket sized microcontroller designed by the BBC for use in Technology Education education in schools. It can be programmed using JavaScript, Python or block code. A micro:bit has:

– 25 red LED lights that can flash messages and be used to create games.

– two programmable buttons that can be used to control games or hardware prototypes.

– an accelerometer, so it can detect motion and knows when the user is moving.

– a built-in compass which can be used to detect the direction and it can use a low energy

– a Bluetooth connection to interact with other devices and the Internet.

– power input and can be powered by a battery and additional sensors can be attached.

You can find more information about the micro:bit features here.

Students can use micro:bit to build a wide range of tools like gaming consoles, fitness trackers, wearables, autonomous vehicles, soil moisture and temperature sensors. In the process of programming a micro:bit and building tools with it, students develop skills like Design Thinking, prototyping, coding, experience working with materials and electronics, using hardware and collaboration. Let’s take a look at the skills students learn:

Design Thinking and Product Design

To build any functional tool, it’s of utmost importance to understand who the users are and to clearly define the problem – this is a direct application of Design Thinking.

While building tools with micro:bit, students will be encouraged to research and define who their user is, what the users’ needs are, and what problems their tool will solve. If students do not have this information, they will spend time researching.

Students will also learn to think about their tools as a product, so they will not only consider how it works and what problem it solves but will also have to consider what it looks like and what the user’s experience will be i.e. how the user will use it and interact with it. 

At our technology camps, students are encouraged to apply design thinking principles, understanding their users’ needs and the problems their projects will solve. This helps them create functional and user-friendly products.

Prototyping and Testing

Building a commercially viable product is a resource intensive task. In the industrial world, it takes the combined effort of numerous experts backed with R&D, financial resources and time. Before a product is ready for commercial use, it has to go through cycles of prototyping, testing, feedback and improvements.

Using micro:bit to build tools, 
Students learn the real-world industrial skills of prototyping and testing, using low-cost and easily available materials to iterate their designs based on user feedback. 

Materials

Most products or tools are built using numerous components and materials, the same is true for working prototypes.

While building products with micro:bit, students will have to consider:

1. The users: who will use it and how

2. The use case: where and in which situations will it be used

3. The wear and tear: does it have moving parts or does it need to be carried around or is it exposed to air and water

4. The safety for the products: are there any moving parts or open wiring

Students explore various materials like cardboard, paper, acrylic, PVC, and wood while building their micro:bit projects. They learn the basics of electronics, working with circuits and understanding electricity requirements for different components.

Basics of electronics

Micro:bit is powered by electricity, either via two AAA batteries or via a USB port. Students who use Micro:bit will learn how electricity works, how to wire different components together to create a circuit, how to ensure that device has the correct amount of electricity and what the electricity requirements are for different components like LED lights and motors or sensors like ultrasonic and moisture sensors.

Sensors

A micro:bit comes with four inbuilt sensors, and students can connect additional sensors to expand its capabilities. They learn to code in JavaScript, Python, and Blocks, developing computational thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

These additional sensors include: 
– light sensor: detects ambient light
– temperature sensors: detects the current temperature of the device, in Celsius
– accelerometer: detects the acceleration of the micro:bit; it senses when the micro:bit is moved and other actions like shake, tilt, and free-fall
– compass: detects the earth’s magnetic field, allowing it to detect which direction the micro:bit is facing

Connecting additional sensors to the micro:bit opens a world of opportunities. A micro:bit can be connected to sound, ultrasonic, temperature and moisture sensors. For example, a micro:bit powered plant watering bot will need light, moisture and temperature sensors.

Learn to code

A micro:bit can be programmed using three coding languages – JavaScript, Python and Blocks. Learning how to program a micro:bit enables students to learn how to code as well as empowers them to have total control over the features of the micro:bit.

Learning to code is more than a technical skill. Coding develops soft skills like Computational Thinking, attention to detail, collaboration, creativity and problem solving.

Teamwork and collaboration

As previously mentioned, building a product or a working prototype requires collaboration between numerous people with different skills and working styles. Our technology camps emphasize teamwork and collaboration, mirroring real-world professional situations. Students work in groups, taking on different responsibilities and learning from each other as they create their micro:bit projects. Every member of the team has to select a specific responsibility, decide on deadline, communicate progress with the team members and learn from each other. 

Learning to make products or prototypes with micro:bit is a well rounded activity which teaches students technical skills like electronics, prototyping, testing, and coding. Students also gain transferable life skills like design thinking, communication and collaboration. Activities like this expose students to the emerging technologies they interact with every day, and encourages them to not just be consumers of technology but also creators of solutions while preparing them for technology first careers.

Join BSD Education’s technology camps to help students become creators of technology solutions and prepare for technology-first careers. Share your micro:bit experiences and projects with us, and we might feature them in our future newsletters!

If you are using micro:bit in your lessons we would love to hear how you are using them and would love to feature your experience and your students’ products in our future newsletters.

Advantages of Real World Technology Camps: Roblox

Roblox is a game-creation platform where students can design and upload their own games, as well as play other games in a multiplayer online environment. Roblox provides scripting tips and design elements through Roblox Studio – a free game creation platform that helps budding designers create and contribute games and activities. Through the platform and its features, students develop skills like creativity, self direction, storytelling, coding, giving and taking feedback.

1. Learn how professionals build games

Using Roblox Studio to build games exposes students to real tools and techniques professionals use to develop games. Beginners who are keen to learn game design and haven’t learned to code yet can use the Roblox Studio’s game builder to create a game world of their own game environment, obstacles, difficulty levels and score systems.

Students with some experience or those interested to learn coding can use the coding language Lua to develop their own games on Roblox Studio. Coding a game gives the game developer control over the game dynamics and the ability to completely redefine the game, its movements and the game environment with fine precision. Coding the game also makes the game look and feel professional, and in this process students experience developing a game just like a professional developer would.

2. Learn to plan and think computationally

Building a game either by using a game builder or by coding it requires the game developer to think logically and systematically. In the planning phase, even before a game is developed, one needs to think about factors like the objective of the game, storyline, types of players to attract, obstacles players will encounter, difficulty levels the game will need and how players earn points.

When building the game, students will have to build each game component sequentially with great attention to detail. S/he will learn that a computer by itself isn’t intelligent so the instructions given to build each component have to be clear.

3. Storytelling

The best games are challenging yet fun with a compelling narrative and an objective to strive for. While developing the game and making key decisions like choosing the game character/s, difficulty levels, scoring system, etc, students will constantly have to ask themselves “why will a player start playing my game and continue playing it?”. The objective of the game with the narrative will help them answer this question.

During BSD camps, we have found that it is a helpful starting point to provide students examples of games with good narratives for inspiration. Then they spend up to one lesson writing down their game’s objective and narrative; then share this with their instructor and peers to get their feedback and improve it.

4. Self direction and creativity

Developing games is an inherently creative exercise. Students are engaging in imagining characters, worlds and experiences that don’t exist yet. Then they learn to use the right tools and techniques to bring their imagination to life.

To successfully build original games, students are given a high amount of autonomy, and are encouraged to test their ideas by building prototypes.

5. Problem solving

Working with technology tools and code requires students to be able to spot errors and solve them on their own. This methodical review develops their attention to detail, makes them process oriented and encourages self-reliant learning.

In BSD camps where there are always groups of students, they are encouraged to work in groups to solve problems collaboratively.

6. Learn to code

Learning how to code makes the students literate in 21st century skills and develops mindsets and behaviours like computational thinking, attention to detail, collaboration, creativity and problem solving. It empowers them to create their own tools and products using technology. It’s more than just a technical skill!

Roblox games can be made unique by developing them using a coding language called Lua which is very similar to JavaScript and Python. Students can use the code editor to create custom actions, conditions, or game mechanics. In doing so they are exposed to programming concepts like loops, conditionals, arrays, and inheritance. Though earning Lua, students develop a transferable foundation that can assist their future transition to discover other coding languages more confidently.

7. User testing and feedback

After creating the first version of the game, students are asked to demo their game and share it with their peers for testing and feedback.

While their peers are playing their games, they are advised to observe how they play the game and request feedback. Based on their observations and peer feedback, students determine the priorities to improve their games.

This testing and feedback cycle is not limited to one time, it is repeated as often as needed to make the game perfect.

8. Digital citizenship

While developing and customizing their game, students will need to search for resources like images and tutorials online. They learn about image selection and audience appropriate content, copyright, royalty free images and the importance of crediting the work of others properly.

There is an overwhelming amount of evidence in education for the power of the real world to capture the minds of young learners. At the same time, no one can dispute the incredible popularity and fascination that children and adults share for fiction. Roblox has achieved a exceptional balance of creating a platform that has succeeded in marrying fantasy with reality in a platform that has the tools to introduce the real world through a user friendly package, intuitively constructed and able to maintain the focus of curious young imaginations.

Advantages of Real-World Technology Camp for Kids: Game Development Camp

Like a technology camp, Extracurricular activities benefit children by exposing them to skills beyond academics, applying what they learn at school in a different context or environment, and developing them as well-rounded young adults. In addition, they socialize and make new friends while exploring new areas of interest and broadening their perspectives.

Here we explore what real-world skills your child will learn if s/he enrolls for a game development technology camp.

Developing games is an intense, collaborative, and multidisciplinary activity, taking the developer through the planning, designing, coding, and testing stages. Creating a game touches upon various abilities and interests, from programming logic to artistic design and narrative writing.

Because one person rarely excels at all these things, a game development camp becomes an excellent opportunity to work on team-building. Additionally, budding gamers will spend a lot of time practicing communication and collaboration! Here is a bit more detail on some of the ways we see campers honing their abilities at technology camp:

Imagine and plan

Developing games is a creative endeavor, and your child will primarily learn to translate their ideas by creating a storyboard. Putting your imagination to paper helps to spot the gaps in the idea and, in turn, solidifies the gameplay.

Code

Coding is the tool that takes the game from a mere idea to a fully formed product—a game that can be shared and played. Students will typically learn to code using languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and coding libraries. However, making a game function correctly means breaking the game’s overall process into small and manageable pieces. This process is called decomposition. This refers to the set of instructions on making them work together as a piece of software. It’s also the functioning game that aligns with the creator’s tech, design, and artistic vision.

Problem-solving

While building the game at technology camp, kids will encounter many problems like the code not working, not understanding some parts of the code, complexities of developing an algorithm, etc. Then, thinking creatively to solve these problems, they’ll brainstorm to create a solution that works.

Adapting to Feedback

The experience of the users is key to the success of the game. Ensuring the game players have a fun and engaging experience, kids will have to carefully plan the game experience, its rules, structure, levels, and score system. During this, they will have to give the game to other users, observe them and take their feedback. Feedback comes with many different suggestions. Kids will need to consider everyone’s input and learn to exercise judgment on what will ultimately be in the final game. This is excellent preparation for their daily lives as adults and a fantastic exercise in empathy.

Communication and presentation

Every child needs to present their game, how it works, how they built it, and how they overcame challenges. Working as a team, they also plan their presentations and make sure that all contributions in the group are recognized. Doing this in a technology camp reinforces a lot of the lessons from school about collaboration and citizenship.

Learning to develop games is a wonderful technical, artistic, and creative endeavor. There is no denying the connection that kids have with games, the prominence of the gaming industry or its implications for their future careers. Most importantly, however, attending a game development camp is a fantastic opportunity for children to deepen their passion. Lifting the lid on how games are created, take their communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and empathy to a new level while making friends and having a great time at technology camp.

If your students have attended a game development technology camp, let us know! We would love to feature their creations on social media. You can share by using the hashtags #BuildSomethingDifferent or #BSDEducation

Check out this link to a great 2D runner game from another technology camp that Matthew built from Sha Tin College on BSD’s Online platform to get started: https://app.bsd.education/share/4W4efS37/.

For more advantages on technology camps, see our related articles below: