Gaming Resources :
Pygame: www.pygame.org
Blitz Max : www.blitzbasic.com
Flixel: www.flixel.org
Construct Classic: WWW.scirra.com/construct-classic
Sploder: www.sploder.com
Quick Links
Tutorials for beginners
Write your first computer program
Code.org
Learn the basic concepts of Computer Science with drag and drop programming. This is a game-like, self-directed tutorial starring video lectures by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies. Learn repeat-loops, conditionals, and basic algorithms. Available in 20 languages
Create a holiday card
Scratch
With Scratch, you can code your own interactive games, stories, animations, and more. In this activity, you'll create an interactive holiday card that you can share with friends and family.
Build your own game
Tynker
A collection of 8 fun activities for children of all ages to try programming. Solve a series of simple puzzles to help Pixel the puppy reach home, and Biff the spaceman reach his moon base. Build the Space Zombies game or create Math Art using our fun and easy visual approach to programming. The session can be teacher facilitated or self-paced.
LightBot
LightBot
Learn core programming logic, starting from super-basic programming, for ages 4+, on iOS or Android (or Web browser) . Learn how to sequence commands, identify patterns, use procedures, and utilize loops!
AppInventor Hour of Code
MIT Center for Mobile Learning @ The Media Lab
Entertaining, quick video tutorials walk you through building three simple apps for your Android phone or tablet. Designed for novices and experts alike, this hour of code will get you ready to start building your own apps before you know it. Imagine sharing your own app creations with your friends! These activities are suitable for individuals and for teachers leading classes.
Tutorials that teach JavaScript
An introduction to JavaScript
KhanAcademy
Learn the basics of JavaScript programming while creating fun drawings with your code. Do it on your own or with your class!
Codecademy
Codecademy
Codecademy is an interactive, student-guided introduction to the basics of CS through JavaScript that's used by tens of millions of students around the world. We've prepared a no-hassle Hour of Code experience with accompanying quizzes, slides, and a completed project for students at the end.
Learn to Code With Karel the Dog
CodeHS
Learn the basics of programming with Karel the Dog, a fun, accessible and visual introduction to coding, where giving commands to a computer is just like giving commands to a dog. This tutorial is great if led by a teacher, but can also be done independently.
Learn to Code a JavaScript Quiz Game
Code Avengers
This self-paced tutorial teaches how to create a quiz game using JavaScript, which can be shared with friends. Along the way, students are rewarded with points, badges and bonus games and compete to reach the top of their class leaderboard.
CodeCombat
CodeCombat
Play as a Wizard using code (spells) to control your heroes, navigate mazes, defeat ogres, trick enemies, and rescue allies! Learn JavaScript in this HTML 5 web game for complete beginners.
No device or internet? Try 'unplugged' computer science
My Robotic Friends
Thinkersmith
Using a pre-defined "Robot Vocabulary" students will figure out how to guide each other to accomplish specific tasks without discussing them first. This lesson teaches children the connection between symbols and actions, as well as the invaluable skill of debugging. "My Robotic Friends" works best as a group activity and includes a teacher workbook for classroom use.
Blockly
Google Education
Got PCs with slow (or non-existent) internet access? Download the Blockly tutorials that were the precursor of the Code.org tutorials - a single 3MB ZIP file can be loaded onto any computer or used off a memory stick
Binary Baubles
Thinkersmith
Students learn about representing and storing letters in binary, as functions of on and off. At the end, the class gets to encode their own initials to take home with them.
fuzzFamily Frenzy
Kodable
Designed for use with plain paper, the fuzzFamily Frenzy is an introduction to programming logic for kids 5 and up. A teacher should explain the game, then students program a partner to complete a simple obstacle course.
Tutorial apps for any device
LightBot
LightBot
Learn core programming logic, starting from super-basic programming, for ages 4+, on iOS or Android (or Web browser) . Learn how to sequence commands, identify patterns, use procedures, and utilize loops!
Kodable
Kodable
Kodable is a self-guided iPad game that introduces kids 5+ to programming basics. Having a teacher or parent nearby is optimal, but not necessary.
Hopscotch: Code on your iPad
Hopscotch
Student-guided tutorial on the iPad using the Hopscotch programming language. Students will build games and apps for their iPad on their iPad. Students can work individually or with friends (up to 3 per iPad).
Other programming languages
A taste of Python programming
Grok Learning
Choose from 3 activities designed to give you your first experience programming. For example, use the programming language Python to build a chatbot called "Eliza". Can she fool your friends into think she's a human not a computer? This can be done in either a student-guided or teacher-facilitated form and comes with all notes and solutions.
Drawing with Code
Processing
An introduction to programming in the context of the visual arts using the Processing programming language. Short video lessons introduce coding exercises that lead to designing an interactive drawing program
Program a virtual robot
RoboMind Academy
Students learn the basics of programming by controlling their own virtual robot. The online course is fully self-contained with short presentations, movies, quizzes and automatic guidance/hints to help with the programming exercises.
Build an iPhone game in your browser!
MakeGamesWithUs
Know some programming already? Learn to make an iPhone game in an hour! We'll guide you through the process, to code, test, and play your game entirely in the browser and then share it on Facebook for friends to try! No prior iPhone development experience is required. You must understand what variables, methods, and objects are.
Make your own apps
Build an iPhone game in your browser!
MakeGamesWithUs
Know some programming already? Learn to make an iPhone game in an hour! We'll guide you through the process, to code, test, and play your game entirely in the browser and then share it on Facebook for friends to try! No prior iPhone development experience is required. You must understand what variables, methods, and objects are.
AppInventor Hour of Code
MIT Center for Mobile Learning @ The Media Lab
Entertaining, quick video tutorials walk you through building three simple apps for your Android phone or tablet. Designed for novices and experts alike, this hour of code will get you ready to start building your own apps before you know it. Imagine sharing your own app creations with your friends! These activities are suitable for individuals and for teachers leading classes.
TouchDevelop
Microsoft Research
Crazy drawings, flying monsters, swirling flowers… create your apps on your device with TouchDevelop, a friendly mobile app creation environment. Runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Windows Phone, Linux, Mac.
Other learning options
Build your own game
Tynker
A collection of 8 fun activities for children of all ages to try programming. Solve a series of simple puzzles to help Pixel the puppy reach home, and Biff the spaceman reach his moon base. Build the Space Zombies game or create Math Art using our fun and easy visual approach to programming. The session can be teacher facilitated or self-paced.
TouchDevelop
Microsoft Research
Crazy drawings, flying monsters, swirling flowers… create your apps on your device with TouchDevelop, a friendly mobile app creation environment. Runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Windows Phone, Linux, Mac.
Make a 3D Frogger game in an hour.
University of Colorado
Imagine a tool that allows you to turn 2D images into 3D shapes. Use AgentCubes online, the world's first 3D web-based programming & modeling tool, to learn to program by creating and sharing exciting 3D games. Rule your world!
Intro to Programming with Alice 2
Alice Project
Students will set up a scene and create a simple animation with minimal teacher facilitation using 3D objects and and drag-and-drop interface in an engaging and supportive coding environment. [NOTE: Desktop app install required]
Everyone can Code with LiveCode
RunRev
Everyone can Code with LiveCode contains 6 video lessons including an introduction to The LiveCode environment. It will show you how to make the popular "Sheepherder" game featured on YouTube. Watch each short video and follow along using the step by step written documentation. All the game code is available for you to copy and paste, with clear explanations of how and why it works. You will be provided with necessary images and samples for download. [NOTE: DESKTOP INSTALL REQUIRED]
Looking Glass
Washington University Computer Science
In this activity, students will be introduced to programming by building an animated story. It introduces computational thinking and showcases the creativity inherent in computing. Furthermore, it incorporates remix actions (animations by other Looking Glass users) highlights the kind of code-reuse that commonly occurs among programmers at all levels, from hobbyist to professional. This is a student-guided activity. [NOTE: Desktop app install required]
We received dozens of tutorial submissions very recently so we haven’t sorted through them all yet. If yours was submitted but is not listed yet, please don’t contact us. Our tutorial guidelines and submission form are listed here. In that document you can also see the guidelines we've used for which tutorials to highlight.
Quick Tips for Educators:
Prep for the Hour of Code:
Choose a tutorial for your students
- Check out the tutorials and pick one for your class. Note: more international/multilingual support is on its way.
- Go through the tutorial yourself so you can help students during the Hour of Code.
- Test tutorials on student computers or devices. Make sure they work properly (with sound and video).
- Preview the congrats page to see what students will see when they finish.
- If the tutorial you choose works best with sound, provide headphones for your class, or ask students to bring their own.
Plan ahead based on your technology available
- Don't have enough devices? Use pair programming. When students partner up, they help each other and rely less on the teacher. They’ll also see that computer science is social and collaborative.
- Have low bandwidth? Plan to show videos at the front of the class, so each student isn't downloading their own videos.
During Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 9-15)
Inspire your students - show them a video
We'll have an Hour of Code video by CSEdWeek. For now, check out these videos, featuring Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Black Eyed Peas founder will.i.am and NBA star Chris Bosh talking about the importance of programming. (There are 1 minute, 5 minute, and 9 minuteversions)
Get your students excited - give them a short intro
Most kids don’t know what computer science is. Here are some ideas:
- Explain it in a simple way that includes examples of applications that both boys and girls will care about (saving lives, helping people, connecting people, etc.).
- Try: "Think about things in your everyday life that use computer science: a cell phone, a microwave, a computer, a traffic light… all of these things needed a computer scientist to help build them.”
- Or: “Computer science is the art of blending human ideas and digital tools to increase our power. Computer scientists work in so many different areas: writing apps for phones, curing diseases, creating animated movies, working on social media, building robots that explore other planets and so much more."
Start your Hour of Code
Direct students to the activity
- Write the tutorial link on a whiteboard. Find the link listed on the information for your selected tutorial under the number of participants. (Example: hourofcode.com/co)
- Tell students to visit the URL and start the tutorial.
When your students come across difficulties
- Tell students, “Ask 3 then me.” Ask 3 classmates, and if they don’t have the answer, then ask the teacher.
- Encourage students and offer positive reinforcement: “You’re doing great, so keep trying.”
- It’s okay to respond to respond: “I don’t know. Let’s figure this out together.” If you can’t figure out a problem, use it as a good learning lesson for the class: “Technology doesn’t always work out the way we want. Together, we’re a community of learners.” And: “Learning to program is like learning a new language; you won’t be fluent right away.“
- Check the Hour of Code forum to ask questions and see FAQs.
What to do if a student finishes early?
- Students can see all tutorials and try another Hour of Code activity at code.org/learn.
- Or, ask students who finish early to help classmates who are having trouble with the activity.
The Hour of Code is just the first step on a journey to learn more about how technology works and how to create software applications. To continue this journey, find additional resources for educators here.