Throughout the week, we will be introducing you to Vermont CSTA Chapter Leaders and Advisory Board and their favorite resources for inspiring students to learn computer science.
"Code.org added some interesting AI activities this year. Take a look at the informative videos in AI for Oceans. Although recommended for grades 3+, I used the site as a 2nd grade whole group activity and it worked so well! 3rd-5th graders enjoyed it, too. The ever-popular Dance Party has an AI version this year, as well."
Meet Vermont CSTA Advisory Member
Darcie Rankin
"Younger students love to Code a Friend! In my classroom we make headbands that have a robot on one side and a coder on the other and they take turns coding their partner ‘robots’.
There are so many resources! Our team builds a web page each year where we recommend new tools as well as tried and true ideas.
Artificial intelligence is an important field in computer science. Try out this quick Google artificial intelligence training application to get an idea of how computers are trained to identify drawings. This game can be played as a whole class (with one person trying the drawings at a time on the smartboard, or individuals can play on their chromebooks, too! Google Quick Draw
You can learn more about how this artificial intelligence works here.
This application has been around a while, but I like that because it allows you to see how the tool is learning over time and all the picture input it has to ‘learn’.
All age groups at my school also love the Hour of Code Dance Party. With new music every year and fun additions it is awesome. We extend this further as a school and one class that submits their code wins a real dance party, complete with a robot and school mascot!"
