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"This year at ISTE in Atlanta, I shared with teachers one easy way to add QR codes to three-dimensional shapes.   The app Foldify lets users create a template for a variety of three-dimensional shapes.  Instead of drawing a picture or adding family photos, I used a QR code generator on my iPad, saved the pictures to the Camera Roll, and placed them on my Folidify creation.  They are easy to assemble after your print them out and great for having students roll a dice for a mystery writing prompt or math problem."

"Professional coders work collaboratively, and rarely does a computer scientist create a program solely on their own. Every successful programming project evolves as a result of Iterations of code, the merging of ideas, and the contributions of the individual team members. Not only does coding empower students to think logically and critically, to collaborate, and to create meaningful learning, but it also provides them an authentic opportunity to develop critical communication and collaboration skills."

"The value of computer programming has been rising exponentially for decades. To the point where now coding has gained traction in mainstream media. TV shows like CBS's The Big Bang Theory or HBO's Silicon Valley are good indicators of computer science careers are taking center stage. The domino effect created by the demand for amazing technology is likewise leading to a demand for skilled workers to engineer and program. Whether training comes through a high school certificate program, or a degree in computer science, the need for project-ready coders is only increasing. The bottom-line: All schools at all levels are kicking coding into overdrive."

"I'm one of four teacher facilitators for our Junior Coding Club. We meet once a week during second nutrition break to code. The group's made up of many beginner coders, but also a couple of advanced coders. At lunch today, one of the advanced coders came rushing into the classroom, so excited to share his news. He decided to put a hold on Code Academy, and start using Scratch. During the week, he used the computer version of Scratch to create a flight simulator. This simulator was truly incredible! This Grade 4 student was so thrilled about what he did, that it was hard not to also feel thrilled. While it was wonderful to see this student so passionate about learning, it was also amazing to hear all of the thinking behind his choices. I was honestly in awe! He thought of everything. He even researched to find out the details about planes at take-off, and used this information in his simulator. He could explain all of his choices and the thinking behind these choices. In this short video clip below you can hear just a tiny snippet of this explanation."

"One of the computing classes that I teach at school is HTML, and being a 1:1 iPad school I wanted to refresh my scheme of work to take advantage of using the iPad. Now, let's get one thing out of the way, coding on the iPad may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, the fact that I can work on it in class and get the students to take the same software home and continue working is a real bonus for me. I had a good look around for an app which would fit my needs and zeroed in on Koder. My reasons for choosing this were mainly because it offered a browser preview of your code and it also wasn't rated 17+ (Apple rates pretty much any app with a browser 17+ for unrestricted web access unfortunately). It is worth noting that it offers other coding languages, but for the purposes of this review I'm going to concentrate on HTML."

"In a digital world of links, likes, tweets and pins, there are very few mechanisms for connecting our ever expanding digital world with the physical one around us. QR codes are one of the simplest and most well established ways to make this connection, and for students it can create a number of unique and fun learning opportunities, meshing the digital and physical classroom. In the below presentation, cutting edge educator Denise Webster shares the tools she uses, as well as some real world examples for making the most of QR codes in the classroom."

"Here are ideas of apps and websites that teachers in my PLN used successfully in the past during Hour of Code:"

"Did you know that your students can use coding to show the lifecycle of a butterfly? Create a history timeline or interactive story? Demonstrate fractions or probability? With our new STEM Project Library - featuring ready-to-use project templates that support many academic areas - you can easily enhance STEM learning by making coding a part of what you already teach, while adding a new level of fun for your students."

"One of the best gifts you can possibly give your child is an education in computer programming. Not only is it a fun, intellectually-challenging pastime, but it's also a solid guarantee of a future career in an industry that not only offers competitive wages, but also promises to provide stable and steady employment. One of the best tools for teaching coding to kids is the Raspberry Pi. At $30, these are cheap enough for most parents to buy. Using the built-in GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output), they can attach electrical components, and build their own physical computing devices. Because you're unlikely to use a Raspberry Pi as your main computer, your children can experiment and play without the fear of causing damage to your system or your documents. But if you aren't a coder, and don't know your Python from your Prolog, you might not know where to direct your children to. If that sounds like you, don't worry. Here's five simple activities to teach your child how to code with the Raspberry Pi."

"It's time to set up week two's coding challenge. You are going to need a little help getting started on this one! We need to set up some colour selection tools in our drawing app. But adding colour selection can be challenging and there are many ways to accomplish this task. In this video, I go through one way of getting this task started in Hopscotch. The video will broach two new ideas: VARIABLES - or in Hopscotch parlance VALUES and colour number codes...."

"Our approach, called Coding By Design, begins with solving real problems for real people. We start with a design thinking approach to creating an app, then proceed to a prototype, multiple iterations based on real feedback, and finally a top-down approach to solving the coding problems and puzzles inherent in app development."

"Welcome to the Computer Science Education Week! By now you may have heard of this little thing called Hour of Code, a global initiative from Code.org and CS Ed Week to get everyone-adults and kids alike!-to try just one hour of programming. Why? No, not so everyone can become programmers, but because exposure to programming can teach logic, problem solving, critical thinking, and demystify technology. Oh, and it's also fun!"

"We would love to hear what you are doing with coding within your school community. What programs and apps are you using? What books and eResources are you using? When does it take place? Are they coding at home to? Do you have special clubs? Give us the scoop....We will be sharing these stories in an upcoming webinar. Thank you so much, Shannon"

"Becoming a coding teacher doesn't need to be intimidating. I've tried to convert real programmers into after-school coding teachers and it completely bombed. Trust me -- as a well-trained teacher, you have all of the skills you need to be successful. Plus, it's not like you have to know enough to make the next Facebook, just enough to teach the basics! So let's get started."

"This week I am going to show you how to search for my code examples in Hopscotch and essentially download them to your iPad so that you can explore my code easily."

"Coding for the most part exists in a virtual space. But there are some fascinating tools that allow learners to experiment with coding and real world objects. Here are a short list of some of those items. I will have tutorials on how some of these work as the year progresses..."

"During CS Ed Week, countless teachers and students experienced computer science for the first time. Whether it was their first, second, or hundredth time, I hope that this taste of CS left them hungry for more. Code.org has created a great compilation of resources for how students can continue learning. In this post, I'd like to suggest some ideas for how teachers who are new(ish) to CS can go beyond the Hour of Code."

"Make unplugged coding the perfect DIY gift: no time, no cost, lot of fun, new skills. CodyRoby is the new method to play with unplugged coding games at any age. Download your free CodyRoby starter kit and make a perfect gift in a few minutes (watch the video tutorial). The kit includes 40 cody cards, a cody-card box, a chess board, 5 Roby pieces, and 24 tiles. Follow the instructions below step by step and watch the video tutorials to get started soon!"

"Canada's ability to retain its position as a significant contributor to the global economy is contingent on our collective willingness to invest in improving digital literacy among Canadians now, equipping them to participate fully in our digital world. While some may consider this to be a radical position, it is already a widely accepted fact in much of the Western world. When it comes to coding education for youth, Canada has already been outpaced by countries such as Estonia, Britain and Australia. And we are even lagging behind our neighbours to the south. Earlier this year, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a "Computer Science For All" strategy to empower a generation of U.S. students with the skills they need to thrive in our digital economy. Coding education in schools can no longer be considered a unique competitive advantage. It must be understood as the minimum standard."

"Here is a collection of some good iPad coding apps we curated for you from iTunes App Store. These are apps you can use with your middle school students to teach them everything related to coding and programming.  These include tutorials, guides, interactive games and several other materials ideal for use with students in class. "