These are the students’ learning goals and activities over the course of five sessions:

— Day 1 - Set Up and Movement - Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Minecraft and to familiarize kids with our course’s objectives. We’ll introduce students to the world of programming where they will learn the basics of computercraft to take control of robots and enable them to navigate a small maze.

— Day 2 - Block Interactions - Students will program robots to interact with blocks through a series of challenges. With these newfound learnings they will work alongside their robots to build a simple house.

— Day 3  - Variables - What are variables and how are they used in programming? Students will explore different types of variables to dig a staircase in Minecraft in order to further their journey in programming.

— Day 4 - Conditionals - Using conditionals like if/then statements, students will create an algorithm so their robots can solve the puzzles from Day 1.

— Day 5 - Loops - Loops give students the ability to repeat a part of a code. Students will use for-loops and automate their robots to completely solve a maze on its own.

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn from one another. Our programs are designed based on the extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/ 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, and sports performance, and design and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.  

Learn more about our organization at:  https://connectedcamps.com/about