The Dodgeball games were a great way to introduce Tynker to the students. Each pair added actors, or the characters, a background and another object such as a treasure chest. Each "actor" needing coding, and the students worked to have their characters move about the screen of the tablet when the tablet is being tilted. We had a great discussion about the gyroscope sensor in the tablets and in smart phones. It is what makes the tablet know that it is being tilted, and therefore, makes the game possible! Ask your student about how this works and see what they have to say!
Our Dodgeball games have been so much fun to see. There have been may customized versions of the game that the students have come up with, including some hand drawn characters. I am so impressed with the focus and creativity that these 5th graders are showing. You as families and loved ones should be so proud!
This week, we will begin a new coding project. Again using Tynker, we will be exploring the idea of setting parameters in a game, and coding user input to set these parameters by creating a "Dinosaur Ecosystem." This is a trickier bit of code, and may cause some frustration. The students will be working independently on this program, but it doesn't mean that we won't be using our new collaboration skills to help each other out, and move forward!
All this snow and cold is keeping everyone inside! If you have access to a computer on these snow days, consider having your student work on this Ice Art project in Tynker! It is a great way to practice your coding and problem solving skills!
