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I really enjoyed Aoife Moore’s idea and game title Donut Mess With Me! Perhaps consider patenting the name! Children would enjoy the idea of donuts as a reward and I can really see the appeal.
As constructive criticism, I would question if it promotes healthy eating and maybe suggest adding some type of fruit or veg in order to get bonus points? It’s all about balance after all!
In saying this, I think it is a great idea. Very imaginative and one which children would respond well to. Well done Aoife.
https://makecode.com/_045iUUKVb04T
This is the link for my game which I named Leprechaun. It is a simple game in which Larry Leprechaun has to collect flowers in order to gain a score. I purposely left the score at higher numbers to encourage children to practice their larger number skills.
In this game the focus would be language and I would use the Gaeilge feature of the programme as I work in a Gaelscoil. Children would have to think of vocabulary related to the topics of the game for example Cúlra, Suíomh, Caractar, Bogadh, Bia, Rialacha, etc.
As I teach younger years I would keep game design quite simple and focus on learning outcomes. I would scaffold and show example games and step by step instructions for creating games. Children would understand relevant vocabulary through the context of game and visual explanations. I think this would appeal to many learners and children would enjoy the play aspect of this type of lesson.
I like the idea of linking coding to visual arts by including things like animations. Using the moving dog animation is a great way of getting children interested and engaged in the process. Even if coding is not their thing. It encourages children to engage in computational thinking in order to create an outcome they would enjoy. They will engage in planning, building, testing, debugging and sharing projects in order to create something real and tangible on their online stimulator. Which again appeals the the visual learner.
Children may have to create their own pets, or imaginary ones. This could be linked to their literacy lessons then where they have to write a story about the character they created. They have to give the character a name and a personality and so their learning becomes real and purposeful.
https://makecode.microbit.org/_9goiPi2bMHCh
This is the link to the micro:bit code I made having looked at the tutorial on MakeCode. I chose the Dice tutorial as I reckoned it would be quite a fun, simple place to start and also something practical that could be used for a Maths lesson then once created.
As I have very little experience with coding I was surprised how simple and easy it was. I think this could even be used in classes younger than 3rd class which was the recommendation. Children are becoming more and more computer literate, I think these processes will make sense to them. Having the online stimulator makes it more accessible for all and a real visual aid in the learning process. We are always telling children to check their work and the debug aspect of this programme creates a great habit and we know children learn by doing and from their own mistakes.
I love to use dice in maths lessons to help children practice their tables and by having this online aspect to lesson, it makes it more fun and accessible for children. You could extend lesson by adding higher numbers or lower numbers depending on child’s capabilities. Without children even noticing. I think this is an excellent tool, that equips children with new way of thinking and learning that is more relevant to the modern world they will grow up in.
I agree with your observation of how important it is to meet every child’s individual needs through differentiation. This is essential in our classroom today and technology can help us do so. It is also great that you are focussing on something you are already doing and comfortable with and simply extending it by introducing computational thinking language to consolidate what you are already doing is an excellent place to start. This course focuses on making it manageable for teachers who already have so much to focus on and makes it very manageable to implement these ideas in a practical way in their classrooms.
As I work in a Gaelscoil I think your idea of a word wall and visual display is excellent and would work well also in my own setting. Concepts and vocabulary in this area are new in whatever language you are using and this is an excellent way of focusing on developing this area. We use this idea in order to build general vocab as Gaeilge, but using it for a specific subject as Gaeilge is a great idea. Children are growing up with these ideas and it will be part of their future. Therefore it is so important we prepare them for their future.