Week 8 - Angry Birds

This week we visited Hour of Code website and went into the Angry Birds Maze section. I really enjoyed participating in the activities as I love the game Angry Birds, it kept my attention as I made my way though the activities. I found this a fun and easy way to learn about code, and getting objects to move on the screen. I was able to understand the term algorithm and that I use this in my every day life, as I like to write lists. An algorithm is a set of simple steps to complete a problem or achieve some end. Eg - giving steps to a blind folded peer to reach the finishing line - one step forward, turn right, 5 steps forward, turn left, 2 steps forward etc.

The videos at each section made it really clear at what we would be learning next and allowed to user to focus on the new written coding, allowing the user to have clear understanding on what the code is doing by following every single step given. I was soon relieved to find out that short-cuts can be used so the same code wasn't needing to repeated each time.

I would consider using this in a Year 2 classroom and link it to the curriculum :-

Technologies / Digital Technologies / Foundation to Year 2 / Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills / ACTDIP004

Content Description

Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems

Elaborations

• experimenting with very simple, step-by-step procedures to explore programmable devices, for example providing instructions to physical or virtual objects or robotic devices to move in an intended manner, such as following a path around the classroom
• writing and entering a simple set of instructions jointly to sequence events and instructions, for example scanning personal photographs and collating and ordering significant personal events or milestones and describing the steps involved in the process
• presenting a sequence of instructions or events in a series of slides or screens with text and pictures
• recognising sequences of instructions or events that are commonly experienced such as the sequence of traffic lights or instructions for recording a TV show or how their lunch order is taken and delivered

References

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2015) Retrieved from 

http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/technologies/digital-technologies/curriculum/f-10?layout=1