teaching 2nd graders to program

B and I have been helping in Z's 2nd grade class out ... they had new access to iPads, one for each kid.

I learned a lot about teaching 2nd graders.  First, I'm not sure I could ever be prepared enough to understand what it is that they can do.  They blew threw my tenative lesson plans in 20 minutes.. we had an hour and half.   

On Tuesday we learned some basics of programming with:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/daisy-the-dinosaur/id490514278

I wish the app has a TON more challenge modes.. The kids loved solving the puzzles.

And if we could have, we would have worked with: 

https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/move-turtle.-programming-for/id509013878?mt=8

But we couldn't because it is hard for the school to buy apps.

I wanted to have the kids watch code.org's video to push every kid to learn to program:

http://code.org/

but I opted just to send the link home to parents.

On Wednesday we started on story book creation:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/book-creator-for-ipad/id442378070?mt=8

and luckily we had only 30 minutes.. I was getting overwhelmed.  In working with ipads, the toughest part seems to be catering to all the different levels, and not just ability, but the kids getting into weird spots or menus or states that app programmers dread.

My plan for tomorrow is to lay it all out, so the kids that are 3 events ahead of me are entertained and I can keep up with the "wait, my screen doesn't look like that".

I have a new appreciation for grade school teachers.

start of things

I've always threatened to start a blog for myself.  Especially at 2am in the morning when I can't sleep.  I've decided I need the therapy now more than ever.  I probably won't make this public, maybe I will. I wonder if I can make parts of it public? What I really want is a journal, where some of it is information I share with the world, and some of it is me just weeding out the crap in my head.  So here goes.