This website is FOOtastic for using with my K-2 students! It is a great introduction to computer science concepts. I appreciate the unplugged lessons that provided reinforcement on how to create and follow algorithms.
Community Review for codeSpark Academy
My Take
I've used codeSpark Academy for a couple of years now and students are very engaged and enthusiastic about solving the puzzles. I've used the unplugged activities to reinforce the concepts of algorithms and debugging, but have also supplemented it with other resources to dig a little deeper than what's provided on the website.
Since it is a free resource, it is a great way for students to continue using it at home and share their learning with their families. Classroom teachers can continue having students progress through the levels when they leave the computer lab, because it is so easy for them to log-in. I would love to be able to share a class with one or more teachers, so that they could connect devices in their own classrooms.
How I Use It
My K-2 classes really enjoy solving the puzzles while building and programming the algorithms they make. While some students get frustrated with some of the more challenging puzzles, it is a great opportunity for collaboration and discussion as a whole class on to debug their attempts as they progress. It is important to supplement the coding concepts with other resources, because the unplugged activities don't dig that deep. For younger students, it is an excellent launching pad to begin exploring computer science and computational thinking.