Search ALEX...

It’s time to use interactive tools to your advantage. Interactive websites are designed to help you learn through simulations and interaction. You will be learning about interactive websites through a series of three Quests. Good luck!

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

When you have completed this activity you will:

1. know about interactive websites and resources [Empowered Learner]

2. understand the different types of interactive learning [Empowered Learner]

3. understand how to use geographical information [Computational Thinker]

We’re going to take our first baby steps from hardware into software! Using that CPU we built last episode, The Central Processing Unit: Computer Science Crash Course #7, we’re going to run some instructions and walk you through how a program operates on the machine level. We'll show you how different programs can be used to perform different tasks, and how software can unlock new capabilities that aren't built into the hardware.

Students learn to use random values and looping to create variation in their drawings and quickly duplicate objects they wish to appear in their digital scenes many times. Students will be presented with a version of the for loop which only enables them to change the number of times the loop runs. This block is essentially a "repeat" block and will be presented that way. Students will also be presented with blocks which enable them to choose a random number within a given range. Together these blocks enable students to create more complex backgrounds for digital scenes by randomly placing simple objects within the background of their scene. Students use these tools to step through the Under the Sea exemplar digital scene.

Students will be able to:
- use a loop in a program to simplify the expression of repeated tasks.
- identify appropriate situations in a program for using a loop.
- use random values within a loop to repeat code that behaves differently each time it is executed.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

Start a conversation about fake news and media literacy with this collection of links to fake, real (but surprising or hard to believe), and problematic (where truth and error or spin combine) news stories. Since bogus stories often disappear from the internet (and sometimes real stories, too), you’ll also find an archived link for each story that will remain usable even if the original link breaks.

Access to this content will require a free account. 

This video is about how that stream of characters you punch into your browser's address bar, like "youtube.com," returns a website. Just to clarify, we're talking in a broader sense about that massive network of networks connecting millions of computers together.

This lesson introduces arrays as a means of storing lists of information within a program. The class begins by highlighting the difficulties that arise when trying to store lists of information in a variable. Students then watch a short video introducing arrays and a subset of the operations that can be performed with them. Students will work in Code Studio for the remainder of the class as they practice using arrays in their programs. At the conclusion of the sequence, students build a simple app which can be used to store and cycle through a list of their favorite things. In the next lesson, students will continue working with a version of this app that can display images and not just text strings.

Students will be able to:
- identify an array as a data structure used to store lists of information in programs.
- create arrays and access information stored within them using an index.
- manipulate an array using the append, insert, and remove operations.
- account for the fact that JavaScript arrays are zero-indexed when using them in a program.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

From our head down to our toes, and our feet up to our nose, the Digital Citizens teach students how to be safe, responsible, and respectful online.

Students will be able to:

• understand the importance of being safe, responsible, and respectful online.

• learn the "Pause & Think Online" song to remember basic digital citizenship concepts.

Users will need a free account to access this resource. 

In this activity, students (K-3) will be introduced to the PBS KIDS ScratchJr app by animating characters from their favorite PBS KIDS shows. Through this process, they will learn about movement blocks, the ‘start on flag’ trigger, and character selection.

PBS KIDS ScratchJr app is now available for free from the App Store on iPad and from the Google Play store on Android tablets.

This lesson introduces websites as a means of personal expression. The class first discusses different ways that people express and share their interests and ideas, then looks at a few exemplary websites made by students from a previous course. Finally, everyone brainstorms and shares a list of topics and interests to include, creating a resource for developing a personal website in the rest of the unit.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

This site is a case study in which students are invited to share (through writing or discussion) their opinions about how a situation should be handled. This case study is related to the personal safe use of digital devices.

This case study goes as follows:

Peter’s longtime close friend, Bridget, is wrapped up in an online relationship with some older guy on MySpace, a social networking website. Peter senses danger, but Bridget resents his warnings and wants him to butt out. What can he do without risking their friendship?

Social interaction is part of what makes online gaming so popular and engaging for kids. Of course, online communication can come with some risks. Show your students how to keep their gaming experiences fun, healthy, and positive.

Students will be able to:

• Define "social interaction" and give an example.

• Describe the positives and negatives of social interaction in online games.

• Create an online video game cover that includes guidelines for positive social interaction.

Users will need to create a free account to access this resource. 

Focusing on searching safely on the internet, the much-loved character Ruff Ruffman addresses some of the questions kids have about technology and media use, in this animated video from RUFF RUFFMAN: HUMBLE MEDIA GENIUS. With his uniquely comical style, Ruff helps guide students in responsibly navigating this twenty-first-century skill. This resource is part of the RUFF RUFFMAN: HUMBLE MEDIA GENIUS Collection. This video can be played when introducing a lesson on basic keyword searches to gather information.

This lesson covers classes and custom colors. The class first learns how to specify custom colors using RGB (red, green, blue) values, then applies these colors to a new Four Seasons web page, which uses CSS classes. Using classes, the class adds more styles to the Four Seasons web page, then uses them to style their personal websites.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

Kids share a lot of information whenever they go online -- sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. But do they understand that online privacy isn't just what they say and post? Help your students learn about their digital footprints and the steps they can take to shape what others find and see about them.

Students will be able to:
- Reflect on the concept of privacy, including what they feel comfortable sharing and with which people.
- Analyze different ways that advertisers collect information about users to send them targeted ads.
- Identify strategies for protecting their privacy, including opting out of specific features and analyzing app or website privacy policies.

Available in both English and Spanish.

Many of us are aware that we're being tracked when going online. It's one of the ways our favorite websites and apps know how to recommend content just for us. But how much information are companies actually collecting? And what are they doing with it? Digging into the details can help us make smart decisions about our online privacy and how to protect it.

• Define online tracking and describe how companies use it.
• Identify the benefits and drawbacks of online tracking to both companies and users.
• Analyze specific examples of online tracking and take a position for or against them.

Users will need to create a free account to access this resource.

In this lesson, students are introduced to robots, including ones that exist in their everyday lives. They learn about the kinds of things that robots do, the excitement that goes with designing and testing, and what inspires ideas for different robots.

This lesson introduces Boolean values and logic, as well as conditional statements. The class starts by playing a simple game of Stand Up, Sit Down in which the Boolean (true/false) statements describe personal properties (hair or eye color, clothing type, age, etc). The class then groups objects based on increasingly complex Boolean statements then looks at how conditionals can impact the flow of a program.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

This is an unplugged activity in which pupils create simple models from modeling dough or draw quick sketches for a partner to guess what they are representing. In doing so they learn that they are ignoring unimportant details and only including that which is most important, and in so doing are abstracting. Pupils link this idea to what is and is not included in simple computer simulations and games.

PUPIL OBJECTIVES:
I can say what is important and I must include.
I can say what is unimportant and I can ignore.
I can say how a computer program (for example, a computer simulation or game) includes what is important.

TEACHING ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
Informal teacher assessment of pupils during the main task and plenary. Focus on understanding of:

Thinking what is important to include.
Thinking what can be ignored.
Being aware that thinking about what is ignored or included in computer simulations and games is an important aspect of design.

Social media is a mixed bag. Being online may increase chances of identity theft and cyberbullying, yet, it’s estimated over 20% of 8 to 12 year-olds have at least one social media account—sometimes without their parents’ knowledge. At times, tweens are taking back charge of their brand, started by their parents since they were born, and sometimes, they are looking to share and connect with a community they have trouble finding face-to-face. So, What’s the right age to start using social media? This resource includes a video and student handout with discussion questions.

What do hearing aids, wheelchairs and prosthetics all have in common? All three are examples of assistive technology that help people with disabilities or the elderly perform daily activities independently or with assistance. In this lesson, students will learn about assistive devices and how innovation plays a key role in the invention process, including raising empathy. Specifically, students will learn how 3D printed prosthetics are changing lives and design their own assistive technology to help others.

Using the invention process, teams will be asked to identify a problem that could be solved through a new assistive device or an innovation to an existing invention. They will then sketch, draw or build an assistive device to share with their classmates in 4 to 5 minutes presentations. Students should receive constructive feedback from their peers, work on any redesigns and present their device to real-life stakeholders. An optional activity for schools that have 3D printers is to allow students to 3D print their final designs.

See how a paper prototype can be used to test and get feedback on software before writing any code. To help out a developer with their idea, the class tests and provides an app prototype made of paper.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

This activity involves listening to songs and finding hidden messages based on the same principle as a modem.

The binary number activity briefly mentions how text could be coded using sound — high and low beeps represent binary digits, which in turn can be decoded to numbers that represent the letters of the alphabet.

All data on computers is stored and transmitted using the binary number system.  When the binary digits need to be sent over phone lines which used to be standard in home internet connections, the digits are converted to sound and decoded at the other end, using a modem. This activity uses an audio coding similar to that used by a modem, but the sounds are recorded as songs, which students can decode.

PBS's Off Book asks if hacking is inherently good or bad, or if is it an ethical area we have yet to define. Looking beyond the media hype and scare tactics, it is clear that "hacking" is a term that should be up for debate, and that some hackers could actually be heroes and not villains.

Students will design a prescribed app, making changes to design elements to match the intended design. By reading and changing the content on the screen of an app, the class starts to build apps that only need a single screen. Even with just one screen, these techniques allow for lots of user interaction and functionality.

Note: You will need to create a free account on code.org before you can view this resource.

Think about the last time someone sent you mail. They probably wrote some content on some paper, put it in an envelope, wrote an address and put it in a mailbox. From there, the letter probably went into a sorting center, got sorted, and was put in a bag. The bag then went into a vehicle like a truck, plane or boat. The vehicle either traveled through water, the air, or on the road. The postal system is a complicated one, designed to let individuals communicate easily, yet being efficient enough to group many letters into one postal delivery. The same ideas apply to how messages move around the internet. Whether it be a ‘like’ on Facebook, a video stream or an email – the internet and its various protocols look after it for you so it is delivered on time and intact to the other person.

In this chapter we introduce some concepts, algorithms, techniques, applications, and problems that relate to network protocols; it isn’t a complete list of all ideas in the area but should be enough to give you a good idea of what this area of computer science is about.

A new smartphone app is helping citizen scientists leave their mark.

Idaho State University researchers have developed an app for community input on the Portneuf River. Reporter Kris Millgate follows one family as they use the app to help stakeholders discover the places people value along the river.