SAVY 2019: Session 4, Day 4 – Intro to Coding and Robotics (Rising 1st/2nd)
What a day of programming! We have filled our brains with new vocabulary this week and it is imperative to use it while we code, so we started the day with a vocabulary review game. Developing multiple events within the same program was the skill we added to our coding knowledge today. This was an exciting step because they get to start adding more advanced features to characters within games. The programmers were able to create a Flappy Bird game where they programmed the background to change, the character to score points, and the game to end when the character failed. Learning about events is the first step to developing code for the unexpected in a program or the outside world. We had to step up our higher order thinking skills and try to predict possible outcomes for the characters.
After lunch, these programmers researched careers in technology. We learned about a girl named Brina who is a Software Engineer at Instagram. We were also introduced to Fredrico who is a Technical Manager at Microsoft. Although these two develop different programs, they both explained how a large part of their job is working with careers outside of computer science to build better programs. Teamwork and communication were a large part of their jobs that we are practicing this week.
The most exciting part of the day was when they engineered new features for their Lego Boost robots. Some groups built a human-like robot that moved with a belt system and others created a robot that had a belt with sensors similar to what you would see in warehouses. I am thrilled with their ability to make connections to other industries!
Tonight ask your programmers:
What is an event in coding?
What was one puzzle on code.org that you struggled with today?
What careers have you learned about in the tech industry?
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