During this one-time class, students will learn the basics of computer science while creating a video game using Scratch. Our philosophies at TechWise Academy: 1) Embrace Mistakes - Coding provides immediate feedback to the learner to correct any mistakes along the way. Mistakes are part of the process of learning. 2) Enjoy Learning - We use fun characters and games to make the learning fun for your student. We know that students learn better when they enjoy the process. 3) Explore Computer Science - We want to expose the problem solving techniques used in computer science to every child. We know every student will not be programmers one day; however, we want to give tools that can be used across any field of study or career. Below is a rough breakdown of what we will cover in the class: Introduction -Welcome -What is Scratch? -Overview of Computational Thinking -Decomposition - Break our Project into Smaller Pieces Telling the Story - Intro Animation -Create Main Sprite + Antagonist + Object -Animation Background -Position Sprites & Glide Create our Game Scene -Change to Game Background -Create Launcher Arrow - Resize and Position Sprites -First Launch Game Objective: Get the Object! -Change Main Sprite Launch Speed -Create Object Clone -Keep Track of Launch Count Challenges -The Enemy Hath Returned! -Under the Apple Tree - Gravity Algorithm Finalize the Game -Background Music + Sound Effects -Game Over Screen -What Next? This class is for those students with little to no prior experience with coding. Students should create an account at scratch.mit.edu *prior to our time together and make sure that they know their username and password. It is also helpful for students to have two devices: one to participate in the class Zoom session and one to follow along during coding.
We teach coding & robotics classes to kids Pre-K-12th grade students. We focus primarily on Computational Thinking, or the problem-solving framework, behind Computer Science to make our classes translate well into other areas of study.
What We Do
We are creating a generation of problem solvers and innovators through coding and computer science principles.
Designing and coding video games is something we believe any child with a computer and desire to learn is capable of doing. In summary, our mission is to teach coding and computer science to children, K-12, and introduce them to new ways to problem solve and explore curiosity and creativity. We do this because we feel strongly that this learning style will help them grow into better problem solvers who don’t give up when given a challenge, but instead embrace it as an opportunity.
Our Approach
Embrace mistakes: Evidence suggests during initial learning students retain more information if they’re given the freedom to make mistakes. Encourage them to learn and grow in confidence through mistakes as they seek an answer.
Enjoy learning: Learning and problem solving can be fun through creative activities like coding and game design.
Explore computer science: Computer science is a powerful medium in which students can express themselves to solve challenges in unique ways to enhance their creativity and problem solving.
Our Experience
We've been teaching Pre-K-12th grade students in person since 2015. We partner with local schools and teachers to ensure the curriculum translates well to local education standards.