Camps and clubs and maker spaces, oh my!
Tech camps, clubs, and maker spaces are ground zero for this decade’s STEM revolution. With the recent explosion in extracurricular STEM programs, instructors are looking for after school activities to teach programming that engage their students.
Under the guidance of instructors with experience in programming, robotics and coding are great for advanced student. But not everyone comes into these programs ready to code.
Some have been told that coding is not for them. Some don’t have the confidence in their abilities to take on problems that only “geniuses” tackle. Some have spent their lives as consumers and don’t realize that there is a creator inside them waiting to break free.
Spark Skill
How does a young student go from no coding experience to making stunning, working mobile games in just five days?
We found the answer: GameSalad. Its appealing and simple user interface enabled students to both follow instructions and experiment with ease.
Of our five classes, GameSalad had the greatest enrollment with over thirty students participating, and it produced perfect satisfaction ratings!
GameSalad allows anyone to build confidence in mastery over technology by building video games. Its easy to use drag-and-drop interface allows students to focus on intent instead of the frustration of syntax errors and typos that come with coding. GameSalad for Education is a great game design program for kids. It's an activity perfect for coding camps, game design clubs, or after school enrichment programs. Students can build confidence in GameSalad before moving on to more advanced coding activities like game modding, app development, or robotics.
Programming the future.
Computational thinking is going to be the 21st century's most important literacy. Successful students will need to be able to understand how computer programs work, even if they don't go into a "programming" career. Funding for after school programs is increasingly focused on STEM and technology literacy.
Grant Funding
Our program consisted largely of homework and basketball at our youth center in South Los Angeles. With this rash of grant denials, we realized that in order to remain competitive in the limited funding market, we needed to improve our offerings.
One of our current interns at the time… introduced us to a game design resource called GameSalad.
[We] used the program to teach a game design class for teens in our Summer Fun Camp this year. The students loved it so much we are continuing it in our CollegeTrek Afterschool Program.
[Our] uptick in funding is due to more competitive grant proposals that employ advancing educational technology at the heart of our programming.
GameSalad for Education is a complete package. In addition to licenses for the GameSalad Creator tool, training and curriculum are included.
Students can start with step-by-step instructions to build simple games and graduate to building their own games. Along the way they gain confidence, learn fundamental programming skills, and take pride in their creations. Students can load their creations on their mobile devices or upload them to the web and take them home to share with friends and family.
Ready to bring GameSalad to your club, camp, or after-school program?