Coding with Bloxels
- School Year: 2016-2017
- Applicants: Kathy Hardesty, Lead Teacher Alison Foley
- School: Smith
- Subjects: Math, Technology
This grant funds Bloxels, a hands-on platform for kids to experiment, build, and learn through video game creation. Third through fifth grade students at Smith STEM Elementary School will gain a greater understanding of important topics such as design, logic, and computer science and demonstrate their knowledge of history, science, and mathematics and more through the games they will create. Students will meet once per week in an enrichment group to learn coding techniques, and use programs such as Scratch and Javascript. They will then be introduced to Bloxels, and work in pairs to create the games. In groups, they will create videos to explain Bloxels and describe how they built and created their games. These videos will be shared with their classmates and also during a school-wide assembly. This program will promote an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning foundational concepts in computer science and will highlight the computational practices and problem solving associated with doing computer science. Students will be assessed in their analytical, programming, and teamwork skills during the process.