#why every windows user should learn AutoHotkey

[the-automators]

6 Reasons Why Every Windows User Needs to Learn AutoHotkey

6 Reasons Why Every Windows User Needs to Learn AutoHotkey

6 Reasons Why Every Windows User Needs to Learn AutoHotkey Are you tired of repetitive tasks taking up valuable time on your computer? Do you wish you could easily automate certain processes to increase your efficiency? Look no further than AutoHotkey, the powerful scripting language that allows you to customize and automate actions on your Windows computer. Here are 6 reasons why every Windows…

[suzanneshannon]

Scott Hanselman's 2021 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows

Can you believe it's been 6 years since my last Tools list? Tools have changed, a lot are online, but honestly, it's just a LOT OF WORK to do the tools list. But here's one for 2020-2021. These are the tools in my Utils folder. I made a d:\dropbox\utils folder and I added it to my PATH. That way it's on all my computers and in my path on all my computers and I can get to any of them instantly.

This is the Updated for 2020-21 Version of my 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2014 List, and currently subsumes all my other lists. I’ve been doing this for over 17 years. Wow. I need to do better, I guess. 

Everyone collects utilities, and most folks have a list of a few that they feel are indispensable.  Here's mine.  Each has a distinct purpose, and I probably touch each at least a few times a week.  For me, "util" means utilitarian and it means don't clutter my tray.  If it saves me time, and seamlessly integrates with my life, it's the bomb. Many/most are free some aren't. Those that aren't free are very likely worth your 30-day trial, and very likely worth your money.

These are all well loved and oft-used utilities.  I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't use them constantly. Things on this list are here because I dig them. No one paid money to be on this list and no money is accepted to be on this list.

Personal Plug: If this list is the first time you and I have met, you should subscribe to my blog, and check out my podcasts, and sign up for my newsletter of Wonderful Things.

Please Link to http://hanselman.com/tools when referencing the latest Hanselman Ultimate Tools List. Feel free to get involved here in the comments, post corrections, or suggestions for future submissions. I very likely made mistakes, and probably forgot a few utilities that I use often.

THE LIFE AND WORK-CHANGING UTILITIES

"If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow." - Beyoncé

Windows Subsystem for Linux - It really can't be overstated how WSL/WSL2 has put the cherry on top of Windows 10. It runs on any build 20262 or higher as it was recently backported and it's integration with Windows is fantastic. It's also WAY faster than running a VM. Go learn more on my YouTube

Windows Terminal - Finally Windows has a modern terminal. You can run shells like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Its main features include multiple tabs, panes, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, a GPU accelerated text rendering engine, and the ability to create your own themes and customize text, colors, backgrounds, and shortcuts. It also includes a pseudo-console so 3rd party Terminals like hyper, conemu, terminus and more work better!

Windows PowerToys - They are back and they should be built into Windows. Install them here and get a color picker, fancy zones, file explorer addons, image resizers, keyboard manager and remapper, an Apple Spotlight-like running in the form of PowerToyrs Run, the Shortcut Guide and more!

Also check out Ueli as a great launcher/spotlight for Windows!

VS Code - Visual Studio Code is hella fast and is my goto text and code editor. I still use notepad sometimes and I'm in full Visual Studio a lot, but VS Code is like the Tesla of code editors. Check out my Favorite VS Code Extensions below.

PowerShell/OhMyPosh/PoshGit/Cascadia Code - I've had a blast this year taking my console prompt to the next level. Try these out but also look at Starship. Whatever you do, play! Don't accept the defaults!

ZoomIt - A true classic but also the answer to the #1 question I'm asked. How do you draw on the screen when you're sharing your screen? ZoomIt has been THAT TOOL in my toolbox. Really take some time and learn how to do boxes, arrows, colors and more and you'll be a more effective screen-sharer. In fact, just go get the whole SysInternals suite and put it all in your PATH.

Winget - It's apt-get for Windows. Similar to choco which I've used in the past, WinGet is going to be included in Windows 10 and has a ton of nice features. I use it to setup a machine in an hour from the command line, versus a day before doing it manually. Just add your MSA (Microsoft login) to the Package Manager Insiders Program and get it from the Store. It's bundled with the Windows App Installer. Then just "winget search <tool>" and winget install whatever!

QuickLook - Free in the Windows Store, just highlight a file in Explorer and press Space to get a preview!

Amazing .NET and Developer utilities

"Power means happiness; power means hard work and sacrifice." - Beyoncé

CodeTrack - CodeTrack is a free .NET Performance Profiler and Execution Analyzer. It works on basically every version of .NET and will give you massive insight into how your code is running! The flamegraph view is fantastic. It's free but you should donate as it's a one-person amazing app!

LINQPad - Interactively query your databases with LINQ with this tool from Joseph Albahari. A fantastic learning tool for those who are just getting into LINQ or for those who want a code snippet IDE to execute any C# or VB expression. Free and wonderful.

WinMerge - WinMerge just gets better and better. It's free, it's open source and it'll compare files and folders and help you merge your conflicted source code files like a champ. Also see Perforce Visual Merge which free and also can diff images, which is pretty amazing.

WinDbg - Low-level and classic but also new and fresh! WinDbg (Wind-bag?) is now in the Windows Store with ALL NEW VISUALS and more!

Insomnia and Nightingale are great alternatives to Postman for doing REST APIs!

NuGet Package Explorer - This app allows browsing NuGet packages from an online feed and viewing contents of the packages

WireShark - What's happening on the wire! WireShark knows!

GitHub Desktop - Gits, ahem, out of the way! Watch my Git 101 on YouTube!

Useful Windows Utilities that should be built in

"I love my job, but it’s more than that: I need it" - Beyoncé

Ear Trumpet - Fantastic advanced volume control for Windows! If you have ever wished that volume on Windows could turn their UI up to 11, Ear Trumpet is that app.

Teracopy - While I use the excellent built in copy features of Windows 10 the most, when I want to move a LOT of files as FAST as possible, nothing beats TeraCopy, an app that does just that - move stuff fast. The queue control is excellent.

AutoHotKey - This little gem is bananas. It's a tiny, amazingly fast free open-source utility for Windows. It lets you automate everything from keystrokes to mice. Programming for non-programmers. It's a complete automation system for Windows without the frustration of VBScript. This is the Windows equivalent of AppleScript for Windows. (That's a very good thing.

7-Zip - It's over and 7zip won. Time to get on board. The 7z format is fast becoming the compression format that choosey hardcore users choose. You'll typically get between 2% and 10% better compression than ZIP. This app integrates into Windows Explorer nicely and opens basically EVERYTHING you could ever want to open from TARs to ISOs, from RARs to CABs.

Paint.NET - The Paint Program that Microsoft forgot, written in .NET. It's 80% of Photoshop and it's free. Pay to support the author by getting the Windows Store version AND it will auto-update! It's only $7, which is an unreal value.

NimbleText - Regular Expressions are hard and I'm not very smart. NimbleText lets me do crazy stuff with large amounts of text without it hurting so much.

Markdown Monster - While I love VSCode, Markdown Monster does one thing incredibly well. Markdown.

Fiddler - The easy, clean, and powerful debugging proxy for checking out HTTP between here and there. It even supports sniffing SSL traffic.

NirSoft Utilities Collection - Nearly everything NirSoft does is worth looking at. My favorites are MyUninstaller, a replacement for Remove Programs, and WhoIsThisDomain.

Ditto Clipboard Manager - WindowsKey+V is amazing and close but Ditto keeps pushing clipboard management forward on Windows.

TaskbarX - It literally centers your Taskbar buttons. I love it. Open Source but also $1 in the Windows Store.

If you really want to mess with your Taskbar, try Taskbar Tweaker.

ShellEx View - Your Explorer's right click menu is cluttered, this can help you unclutter it!

OneCommander and Midnight Commander and Altap Salamander - As a long time Norton Commander user (google that!) there's a lot of great "reimaginings" of the Windows File Explorer. OneCommander and Altap Salamander does that, and Midnight Commander does it for the command line/CLI.

WinDirStat - A classic but still essential. What's taking up all that space? Spoiler - It's Call of Duty.

Also try SpaceSniffer!

FileSeek and Everything - Search it all, instantly!

I like Win+Share+S for Screenshots but also check out ShareX, Greenshot, and Lightshot

For animated Gifs, try screen2gif or LICEcap!

Alt-Tab Terminator - Takes your Alt-Tab to the next level with massive previews and search

PureText - PureText pastes plain text, purely, plainly. Free and glorious. Thanks Steve Miller

I still FTP and SCP and SFTP and I use WinSCP to do it! It's free or just $10 to get it from the Windows Store and support the author!

VLC Player - The best and still the best. Plays everything, everywhere.

PSReadline - Makes PowerShell more Bashy in the best way.

Yori and all Malcolm Smith's Utilities - Yori is a reimagning of cmd.exe!

Visual Studio Code Extensions

"I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me." – Beyoncé

There's a million great Visual Studio Extensions. The ones I like won't be the that ones you like. But, go explore.

GitLens - Glorious. Just makes Git and VS a joy and adds a thousand tiny lovely features that will make you smile. You'll wonder why this isn't built in.

Version Lens - Do you have the latest package versions? Now you know

CodeSnap - Screenshots specifically tailored to make your code look nice.

.NET Core Test Explorer - Makes unit testing with .NET on VS Code so much nicer

Arduino for VS Code - The Arduino extension makes it easy to develop, build, deploy and debug your Arduino sketches in Visual Studio Code! So nice.

Coverage Gutters - This amazing extension highlights what code is covered with Unit Test and what's not. Ryan is looking for help, so go see if this is a great OSS project YOU can get started with!

Docker for VS Code - Container explorer and manager and deployer, directly from VS

GitHistory - Another nice add-on for Git that shows your Git Log

HexDump - I need this more than I would like to admit

LiveShare - Stop screen-sharing and start code and context sharing!

PowerShell for VS - A great replacement for the PowerShell ISE

Remote Containers - This is an AMAZING EXTENSION you have to try if you have Docker but it has a horrible non-descriptive name. But must be seen to be believed. Perhaps it's "Visual Studio Development Containers," I'm not sure. Open a folder and attach to a development container. No installs, just you debugging Rust, Go, C#, whatever whilst installing NOTHING. Amazing.

Remote SSH - Another in the VS Remote Family of Extensions, this one lets you use any remote SSH Server as your development environment.

Remote WSL - Edit and debug and build code from Windows...using Linux!

And finally, Yoncé, my current VS Code theme. Beyoncé inspired.

Things I enjoy

“We all have our purpose, we all have our strengths.” – Beyoncé

RescueTime - Are you productive? Are you spending time on what you need to be spending time on? RescueTime keeps track of what you are doing and tells you just that with fantastic reports. Very good stuff if you're trying to GTD and TCB. ;

Carnac - This wonderful little open source utility shows the hotkey's you're pressing as you press them, showing up as little overlays in the corner. I use it during coding presentations.

DOSBox - When you're off floating in 64-bit super-Windows-10-Pro land, sometimes you forget that there ARE some old programs you can't run anymore now that DOS isn't really there. Enter DOSBox, an x86 DOS Emulator! Whew, now I can play Bard's Tale from 1988 on Windows 10 in 2021! Check out Gog.com for lots of DOSBox powered classics

Oh yes, and finally Windows Sandbox - You already have this and didn't even know it! You can fire up in SECONDS a copy of your Windows 10 machine in a safe sandbox and when you close it, it's gone. Poof. Great for testing weird tools and utilities that some rando on a blog asks you to download.

Sponsor: IDC Innovators Report: Multicloud Networking--Read the latest from IDC and discover one of the premier platforms addressing the rise of multicloud architectures and cloud-native apps. Download now.

© 2020 Scott Hanselman. All rights reserved.

      Scott Hanselman's 2021 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows published first on https://deskbysnafu.tumblr.com/

[philipholt]

Scott Hanselman's 2021 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows

Can you believe it's been 6 years since my last Tools list? Tools have changed, a lot are online, but honestly, it's just a LOT OF WORK to do the tools list. But here's one for 2020-2021. These are the tools in my Utils folder. I made a d:\dropbox\utils folder and I added it to my PATH. That way it's on all my computers and in my path on all my computers and I can get to any of them instantly.

This is the Updated for 2020-21 Version of my 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2014 List, and currently subsumes all my other lists. I’ve been doing this for over 17 years. Wow. I need to do better, I guess. 

Everyone collects utilities, and most folks have a list of a few that they feel are indispensable.  Here's mine.  Each has a distinct purpose, and I probably touch each at least a few times a week.  For me, "util" means utilitarian and it means don't clutter my tray.  If it saves me time, and seamlessly integrates with my life, it's the bomb. Many/most are free some aren't. Those that aren't free are very likely worth your 30-day trial, and very likely worth your money.

These are all well loved and oft-used utilities.  I wouldn't recommend them if I didn't use them constantly. Things on this list are here because I dig them. No one paid money to be on this list and no money is accepted to be on this list.

Personal Plug: If this list is the first time you and I have met, you should subscribe to my blog, and check out my podcasts, and sign up for my newsletter of Wonderful Things.

Please Link to http://hanselman.com/tools when referencing the latest Hanselman Ultimate Tools List. Feel free to get involved here in the comments, post corrections, or suggestions for future submissions. I very likely made mistakes, and probably forgot a few utilities that I use often.

THE LIFE AND WORK-CHANGING UTILITIES

"If everything was perfect, you would never learn and you would never grow." - Beyoncé

Windows Subsystem for Linux - It really can't be overstated how WSL/WSL2 has put the cherry on top of Windows 10. It runs on any build 20262 or higher as it was recently backported and it's integration with Windows is fantastic. It's also WAY faster than running a VM. Go learn more on my YouTube

Windows Terminal - Finally Windows has a modern terminal. You can run shells like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Its main features include multiple tabs, panes, Unicode and UTF-8 character support, a GPU accelerated text rendering engine, and the ability to create your own themes and customize text, colors, backgrounds, and shortcuts. It also includes a pseudo-console so 3rd party Terminals like hyper, conemu, terminus and more work better!

Windows PowerToys - They are back and they should be built into Windows. Install them here and get a color picker, fancy zones, file explorer addons, image resizers, keyboard manager and remapper, an Apple Spotlight-like running in the form of PowerToyrs Run, the Shortcut Guide and more!

Also check out Ueli as a great launcher/spotlight for Windows!

VS Code - Visual Studio Code is hella fast and is my goto text and code editor. I still use notepad sometimes and I'm in full Visual Studio a lot, but VS Code is like the Tesla of code editors. Check out my Favorite VS Code Extensions below.

PowerShell/OhMyPosh/PoshGit/Cascadia Code - I've had a blast this year taking my console prompt to the next level. Try these out but also look at Starship. Whatever you do, play! Don't accept the defaults!

ZoomIt - A true classic but also the answer to the #1 question I'm asked. How do you draw on the screen when you're sharing your screen? ZoomIt has been THAT TOOL in my toolbox. Really take some time and learn how to do boxes, arrows, colors and more and you'll be a more effective screen-sharer. In fact, just go get the whole SysInternals suite and put it all in your PATH.

Winget - It's apt-get for Windows. Similar to choco which I've used in the past, WinGet is going to be included in Windows 10 and has a ton of nice features. I use it to setup a machine in an hour from the command line, versus a day before doing it manually. Just add your MSA (Microsoft login) to the Package Manager Insiders Program and get it from the Store. It's bundled with the Windows App Installer. Then just "winget search <tool>" and winget install whatever!

QuickLook - Free in the Windows Store, just highlight a file in Explorer and press Space to get a preview!

Amazing .NET and Developer utilities

"Power means happiness; power means hard work and sacrifice." - Beyoncé

CodeTrack - CodeTrack is a free .NET Performance Profiler and Execution Analyzer. It works on basically every version of .NET and will give you massive insight into how your code is running! The flamegraph view is fantastic. It's free but you should donate as it's a one-person amazing app!

LINQPad - Interactively query your databases with LINQ with this tool from Joseph Albahari. A fantastic learning tool for those who are just getting into LINQ or for those who want a code snippet IDE to execute any C# or VB expression. Free and wonderful.

WinMerge - WinMerge just gets better and better. It's free, it's open source and it'll compare files and folders and help you merge your conflicted source code files like a champ. Also see Perforce Visual Merge which free and also can diff images, which is pretty amazing.

WinDbg - Low-level and classic but also new and fresh! WinDbg (Wind-bag?) is now in the Windows Store with ALL NEW VISUALS and more!

Insomnia and Nightingale are great alternatives to Postman for doing REST APIs!

NuGet Package Explorer - This app allows browsing NuGet packages from an online feed and viewing contents of the packages

WireShark - What's happening on the wire! WireShark knows!

GitHub Desktop - Gits, ahem, out of the way! Watch my Git 101 on YouTube!

Useful Windows Utilities that should be built in

"I love my job, but it’s more than that: I need it" - Beyoncé

Ear Trumpet - Fantastic advanced volume control for Windows! If you have ever wished that volume on Windows could turn their UI up to 11, Ear Trumpet is that app.

Teracopy - While I use the excellent built in copy features of Windows 10 the most, when I want to move a LOT of files as FAST as possible, nothing beats TeraCopy, an app that does just that - move stuff fast. The queue control is excellent.

AutoHotKey - This little gem is bananas. It's a tiny, amazingly fast free open-source utility for Windows. It lets you automate everything from keystrokes to mice. Programming for non-programmers. It's a complete automation system for Windows without the frustration of VBScript. This is the Windows equivalent of AppleScript for Windows. (That's a very good thing.

7-Zip - It's over and 7zip won. Time to get on board. The 7z format is fast becoming the compression format that choosey hardcore users choose. You'll typically get between 2% and 10% better compression than ZIP. This app integrates into Windows Explorer nicely and opens basically EVERYTHING you could ever want to open from TARs to ISOs, from RARs to CABs.

Paint.NET - The Paint Program that Microsoft forgot, written in .NET. It's 80% of Photoshop and it's free. Pay to support the author by getting the Windows Store version AND it will auto-update! It's only $7, which is an unreal value.

NimbleText - Regular Expressions are hard and I'm not very smart. NimbleText lets me do crazy stuff with large amounts of text without it hurting so much.

Markdown Monster - While I love VSCode, Markdown Monster does one thing incredibly well. Markdown.

Fiddler - The easy, clean, and powerful debugging proxy for checking out HTTP between here and there. It even supports sniffing SSL traffic.

NirSoft Utilities Collection - Nearly everything NirSoft does is worth looking at. My favorites are MyUninstaller, a replacement for Remove Programs, and WhoIsThisDomain.

Ditto Clipboard Manager - WindowsKey+V is amazing and close but Ditto keeps pushing clipboard management forward on Windows.

TaskbarX - It literally centers your Taskbar buttons. I love it. Open Source but also $1 in the Windows Store.

If you really want to mess with your Taskbar, try Taskbar Tweaker.

ShellEx View - Your Explorer's right click menu is cluttered, this can help you unclutter it!

OneCommander and Midnight Commander and Altap Salamander - As a long time Norton Commander user (google that!) there's a lot of great "reimaginings" of the Windows File Explorer. OneCommander and Altap Salamander does that, and Midnight Commander does it for the command line/CLI.

WinDirStat - A classic but still essential. What's taking up all that space? Spoiler - It's Call of Duty.

Also try SpaceSniffer!

FileSeek and Everything - Search it all, instantly!

I like Win+Share+S for Screenshots but also check out ShareX, Greenshot, and Lightshot

For animated Gifs, try screen2gif or LICEcap!

Alt-Tab Terminator - Takes your Alt-Tab to the next level with massive previews and search

PureText - PureText pastes plain text, purely, plainly. Free and glorious. Thanks Steve Miller

I still FTP and SCP and SFTP and I use WinSCP to do it! It's free or just $10 to get it from the Windows Store and support the author!

VLC Player - The best and still the best. Plays everything, everywhere.

PSReadline - Makes PowerShell more Bashy in the best way.

Yori and all Malcolm Smith's Utilities - Yori is a reimagning of cmd.exe!

Visual Studio Code Extensions

"I use the negativity to fuel the transformation into a better me." – Beyoncé

There's a million great Visual Studio Extensions. The ones I like won't be the that ones you like. But, go explore.

GitLens - Glorious. Just makes Git and VS a joy and adds a thousand tiny lovely features that will make you smile. You'll wonder why this isn't built in.

Version Lens - Do you have the latest package versions? Now you know

CodeSnap - Screenshots specifically tailored to make your code look nice.

.NET Core Test Explorer - Makes unit testing with .NET on VS Code so much nicer

Arduino for VS Code - The Arduino extension makes it easy to develop, build, deploy and debug your Arduino sketches in Visual Studio Code! So nice.

Coverage Gutters - This amazing extension highlights what code is covered with Unit Test and what's not. Ryan is looking for help, so go see if this is a great OSS project YOU can get started with!

Docker for VS Code - Container explorer and manager and deployer, directly from VS

GitHistory - Another nice add-on for Git that shows your Git Log

HexDump - I need this more than I would like to admit

LiveShare - Stop screen-sharing and start code and context sharing!

PowerShell for VS - A great replacement for the PowerShell ISE

Remote Containers - This is an AMAZING EXTENSION you have to try if you have Docker but it has a horrible non-descriptive name. But must be seen to be believed. Perhaps it's "Visual Studio Development Containers," I'm not sure. Open a folder and attach to a development container. No installs, just you debugging Rust, Go, C#, whatever whilst installing NOTHING. Amazing.

Remote SSH - Another in the VS Remote Family of Extensions, this one lets you use any remote SSH Server as your development environment.

Remote WSL - Edit and debug and build code from Windows...using Linux!

And finally, Yoncé, my current VS Code theme. Beyoncé inspired.

Things I enjoy

“We all have our purpose, we all have our strengths.” – Beyoncé

RescueTime - Are you productive? Are you spending time on what you need to be spending time on? RescueTime keeps track of what you are doing and tells you just that with fantastic reports. Very good stuff if you're trying to GTD and TCB. ;

Carnac - This wonderful little open source utility shows the hotkey's you're pressing as you press them, showing up as little overlays in the corner. I use it during coding presentations.

DOSBox - When you're off floating in 64-bit super-Windows-10-Pro land, sometimes you forget that there ARE some old programs you can't run anymore now that DOS isn't really there. Enter DOSBox, an x86 DOS Emulator! Whew, now I can play Bard's Tale from 1988 on Windows 10 in 2021! Check out Gog.com for lots of DOSBox powered classics

Oh yes, and finally Windows Sandbox - You already have this and didn't even know it! You can fire up in SECONDS a copy of your Windows 10 machine in a safe sandbox and when you close it, it's gone. Poof. Great for testing weird tools and utilities that some rando on a blog asks you to download.

Sponsor: IDC Innovators Report: Multicloud Networking--Read the latest from IDC and discover one of the premier platforms addressing the rise of multicloud architectures and cloud-native apps. Download now.

© 2020 Scott Hanselman. All rights reserved.

      Scott Hanselman's 2021 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows published first on http://7elementswd.tumblr.com/

[endevia]

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code

Coding–that geeky subject that confounds students and frightens teachers. Yet, kids who can code are better at logical thinking and problem solving, more independent and self-assured, and more likely to find a job when they graduate. In fact, according to Computer Science Education, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million coding jobs and only 400,000 applicants.

December 4-10, Computer Science Education will host the Hour Of Code–a one-hour introduction to coding, programming, and why students should love it. It’s designed to show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator.

Here are ten projects (each, about one hour in length) you can use in your classroom to participate in this wildly popular event:

Macros

Grade level: 5-12

By fifth grade, students appreciate technology for how it can speed up their class projects and seek out ways to use it to make their educational journey easier. Take advantage of this by introducing pre-programming skills like creating macros. This is an easy way to add MLA headings (or whichever standard your school uses).

Here are the steps for creating a macro in MS Word (adapt for the digital device you use):

Click View>Macros>Record Macros.

Name your macro.

Choose whether it should be a keyboard shortcut or a button.

Once you click OK, you will notice your cursor becomes a cassette tape, indicating that anything you click will be part of the macro. Click all elements you would like to be in your macro.

Stop recording by clicking View>Stop Recording.

Students can use macros authentically in the classwork to do things like add document headings, closings, insert pre-designed tables, and more.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

Shortkeys

Grade level: 5-12

Creating shortkeys for oft-used programs will quickly become a favorite with your students. Here’s how to create one on PCs:

Click Start

Right click on the desired program

Select ‘properties’ (you may have to select “shortcut location” first)

Click in ‘shortcut’

Push the key combination you want to use. In my case, I used Ctrl+Alt+S to invoke the Windows Snipping Tool

Save

IPads call these hotkeys. To create one, go to:

Settings > General Settings > Keyboard Settings

Scroll down and click “add new shortcut”

Be aware: This doesn’t work for every app.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

AutoHotkeys

Grade level: 8-12

Auto Hotkeys is a free download for the Windows platform that enables users to program a series of keystrokes to launch programs, open documents, send mouse clicks and movements–accomplish pretty much anything they want. This is similar to Macros but more versatile. AutoHotkeys, however, is not an intuitive program. There are no menus and no friendly interface. It is a great geek-immersion experience for those students who live and breath coding and computers.

If creating scripts is a line in the sand you will not cross, this program may not be for you.

Alt Codes

Grade level: 4-12

Alt codes are those symbols that are created by holding down the Alt key and pushing a series of numbers, like these for copyright and the Spanish question mark:

Alt + 0169 = ©

Alt+0191 = ¿

There are hundreds of them for PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Click the link for your digital device.

Tip: Press the ALT key. While it is pressed, put in the numbers from your NUMBER PAD. It doesn’t work using the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Make sure the NUM LOCK is on.

Human Robot

Grade level: K-5

Programming a human robot is an unplugged approach to teaching coding that is a great way to teach sequencing–a critical skill for coding.

Pick an activity—say, taking your seat in the classroom. Ask a student (or several) to explain required steps using another teacher as the ‘robot’. The human robot only does what the student directs (think of the old aphorism ‘garbage in garbage out’ explaining that computers only do what you tell them; nothing more). The human does not guess or extrapolate based on what they think the student wants, merely follows directions. For example:

Move right foot, then left, 4 times.

Turn right; walk 4 steps.

Turn around (left and left again).

Drop backpack to floor (or place under chair).

If the student forgets to say ‘turn around’, the human robot won’t. For more detail, see Dr. Technicko’s popular How to Train Your Robot.

Human Algorithm

Grade level: K-5

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem or completing an activity. Use it in conversation for students, such as, “The algorithm I follow when I get up in the morning is…”  Once students are comfortable with the use of the word, suggest they create their own algorithm, one that describes their morning activities. It might include the following steps (which students will have to re-order):

For youngers, you might have��images like the ones above, that reflect the activities. Olders can draw them in the class drawing program (Paint, Google Draw, or another) and then print.

These can be simple or involved, and might tie into inquiry taking place in the classroom. For example, use the stages in an animal’s lifecycle.

Animation

Grade level: 3-12

Use a free program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator or Draw a Stickman to program a stick figure. It’s simple to use and students love exploring the possibilities of making their own animated stories.

If you have IPads, try Stick Nodes or Scribble Movie.

Coding with Pixel Art

Grade level: K-12

Pixel Art is the blocky drawing that looks both amateurish and sophisticated. You’ll recognize it by the:

stair-step edges

limited colors

usually only one focal point to drawing

Before Minecraft’s characters made it recognizable even to kindergartners, players used pixel art in the popular Tetris game.

For this project, provide students with written directions for what color to fill in for which cell, such as:

Blue:                 A1, B1, C1, D1, G1, H1, I1, J1, A2, B2, I2, J2, A3, J3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10

As students fill in the cells, the image is revealed.

Wolfram/Alpha Widget

Grade level: 7-12

Widgets are free personalized mini-apps that can do almost anything the user can program, from calculating the calories in a recipe to solving complex problems. You can either browse Wolfram/Alpha’s gallery for a widget that fits your need and embed the code into your personal website, or you can build your own widget from scratch using their Builder tool. The level of difficulty will determine how long it takes so start simple during Hour of Code.

IFTTT

Grade level: 9-12

IFTTT allows users to create recipes to automate functions, such as being notified when the weather changes or as a reminder of an impending event. It uses a simple statement—IF THIS THEN THAT. Users create a recipe by choosing a trigger channel from over 92 available, then a trigger, and finally an action channel. For example:

IF they post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on Twitter

IF it’s going to rain tomorrow THEN get a text message

IF they are near home THEN turn on your lights

Click for more on IFTTT.

***

That’s it–10 projects that can be completed in the Hour of Code time frame. The good news: Once students try any of these ten, they’ll want more coding.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code published first on http://ift.tt/2x0Vr0e

[corpasa]

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code

Coding–that geeky subject that confounds students and frightens teachers. Yet, kids who can code are better at logical thinking and problem solving, more independent and self-assured, and more likely to find a job when they graduate. In fact, according to Computer Science Education, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million coding jobs and only 400,000 applicants.

December 4-10, Computer Science Education will host the Hour Of Code–a one-hour introduction to coding, programming, and why students should love it. It’s designed to show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator.

Here are ten projects (each, about one hour in length) you can use in your classroom to participate in this wildly popular event:

Macros

Grade level: 5-12

By fifth grade, students appreciate technology for how it can speed up their class projects and seek out ways to use it to make their educational journey easier. Take advantage of this by introducing pre-programming skills like creating macros. This is an easy way to add MLA headings (or whichever standard your school uses).

Here are the steps for creating a macro in MS Word (adapt for the digital device you use):

Click View>Macros>Record Macros.

Name your macro.

Choose whether it should be a keyboard shortcut or a button.

Once you click OK, you will notice your cursor becomes a cassette tape, indicating that anything you click will be part of the macro. Click all elements you would like to be in your macro.

Stop recording by clicking View>Stop Recording.

Students can use macros authentically in the classwork to do things like add document headings, closings, insert pre-designed tables, and more.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

Shortkeys

Grade level: 5-12

Creating shortkeys for oft-used programs will quickly become a favorite with your students. Here’s how to create one on PCs:

Click Start

Right click on the desired program

Select ‘properties’ (you may have to select “shortcut location” first)

Click in ‘shortcut’

Push the key combination you want to use. In my case, I used Ctrl+Alt+S to invoke the Windows Snipping Tool

Save

IPads call these hotkeys. To create one, go to:

Settings > General Settings > Keyboard Settings

Scroll down and click “add new shortcut”

Be aware: This doesn’t work for every app.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

AutoHotkeys

Grade level: 8-12

Auto Hotkeys is a free download for the Windows platform that enables users to program a series of keystrokes to launch programs, open documents, send mouse clicks and movements–accomplish pretty much anything they want. This is similar to Macros but more versatile. AutoHotkeys, however, is not an intuitive program. There are no menus and no friendly interface. It is a great geek-immersion experience for those students who live and breath coding and computers.

If creating scripts is a line in the sand you will not cross, this program may not be for you.

Alt Codes

Grade level: 4-12

Alt codes are those symbols that are created by holding down the Alt key and pushing a series of numbers, like these for copyright and the Spanish question mark:

Alt + 0169 = ©

Alt+0191 = ¿

There are hundreds of them for PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Click the link for your digital device.

Tip: Press the ALT key. While it is pressed, put in the numbers from your NUMBER PAD. It doesn’t work using the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Make sure the NUM LOCK is on.

Human Robot

Grade level: K-5

Programming a human robot is an unplugged approach to teaching coding that is a great way to teach sequencing–a critical skill for coding.

Pick an activity—say, taking your seat in the classroom. Ask a student (or several) to explain required steps using another teacher as the ‘robot’. The human robot only does what the student directs (think of the old aphorism ‘garbage in garbage out’ explaining that computers only do what you tell them; nothing more). The human does not guess or extrapolate based on what they think the student wants, merely follows directions. For example:

Move right foot, then left, 4 times.

Turn right; walk 4 steps.

Turn around (left and left again).

Drop backpack to floor (or place under chair).

If the student forgets to say ‘turn around’, the human robot won’t. For more detail, see Dr. Technicko’s popular How to Train Your Robot.

Human Algorithm

Grade level: K-5

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem or completing an activity. Use it in conversation for students, such as, “The algorithm I follow when I get up in the morning is…”  Once students are comfortable with the use of the word, suggest they create their own algorithm, one that describes their morning activities. It might include the following steps (which students will have to re-order):

For youngers, you might have images like the ones above, that reflect the activities. Olders can draw them in the class drawing program (Paint, Google Draw, or another) and then print.

These can be simple or involved, and might tie into inquiry taking place in the classroom. For example, use the stages in an animal’s lifecycle.

Animation

Grade level: 3-12

Use a free program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator or Draw a Stickman to program a stick figure. It’s simple to use and students love exploring the possibilities of making their own animated stories.

If you have IPads, try Stick Nodes or Scribble Movie.

Coding with Pixel Art

Grade level: K-12

Pixel Art is the blocky drawing that looks both amateurish and sophisticated. You’ll recognize it by the:

stair-step edges

limited colors

usually only one focal point to drawing

Before Minecraft’s characters made it recognizable even to kindergartners, players used pixel art in the popular Tetris game.

For this project, provide students with written directions for what color to fill in for which cell, such as:

Blue:                 A1, B1, C1, D1, G1, H1, I1, J1, A2, B2, I2, J2, A3, J3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10

As students fill in the cells, the image is revealed.

Wolfram/Alpha Widget

Grade level: 7-12

Widgets are free personalized mini-apps that can do almost anything the user can program, from calculating the calories in a recipe to solving complex problems. You can either browse Wolfram/Alpha’s gallery for a widget that fits your need and embed the code into your personal website, or you can build your own widget from scratch using their Builder tool. The level of difficulty will determine how long it takes so start simple during Hour of Code.

IFTTT

Grade level: 9-12

IFTTT allows users to create recipes to automate functions, such as being notified when the weather changes or as a reminder of an impending event. It uses a simple statement—IF THIS THEN THAT. Users create a recipe by choosing a trigger channel from over 92 available, then a trigger, and finally an action channel. For example:

IF they post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on Twitter

IF it’s going to rain tomorrow THEN get a text message

IF they are near home THEN turn on your lights

Click for more on IFTTT.

***

That’s it–10 projects that can be completed in the Hour of Code time frame. The good news: Once students try any of these ten, they’ll want more coding.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code published first on http://ift.tt/2xZuhEK

[evnoweb]

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code

Coding–that geeky subject that confounds students and frightens teachers. Yet, kids who can code are better at logical thinking and problem solving, more independent and self-assured, and more likely to find a job when they graduate. In fact, according to Computer Science Education, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million coding jobs and only 400,000 applicants.

December 4-10, Computer Science Education will host the Hour Of Code–a one-hour introduction to coding, programming, and why students should love it. It’s designed to show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator.

Here are ten projects (each, about one hour in length) you can use in your classroom to participate in this wildly popular event:

Macros

Grade level: 5-12

By fifth grade, students appreciate technology for how it can speed up their class projects and seek out ways to use it to make their educational journey easier. Take advantage of this by introducing pre-programming skills like creating macros. This is an easy way to add MLA headings (or whichever standard your school uses).

Here are the steps for creating a macro in MS Word (adapt for the digital device you use):

Click View>Macros>Record Macros.

Name your macro.

Choose whether it should be a keyboard shortcut or a button.

Once you click OK, you will notice your cursor becomes a cassette tape, indicating that anything you click will be part of the macro. Click all elements you would like to be in your macro.

Stop recording by clicking View>Stop Recording.

Students can use macros authentically in the classwork to do things like add document headings, closings, insert pre-designed tables, and more.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

Shortkeys

Grade level: 5-12

Creating shortkeys for oft-used programs will quickly become a favorite with your students. Here’s how to create one on PCs:

Click Start

Right click on the desired program

Select ‘properties’ (you may have to select “shortcut location” first)

Click in ‘shortcut’

Push the key combination you want to use. In my case, I used Ctrl+Alt+S to invoke the Windows Snipping Tool

Save

IPads call these hotkeys. To create one, go to:

Settings > General Settings > Keyboard Settings

Scroll down and click “add new shortcut”

Be aware: This doesn’t work for every app.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

AutoHotkeys

Grade level: 8-12

Auto Hotkeys is a free download for the Windows platform that enables users to program a series of keystrokes to launch programs, open documents, send mouse clicks and movements–accomplish pretty much anything they want. This is similar to Macros but more versatile. AutoHotkeys, however, is not an intuitive program. There are no menus and no friendly interface. It is a great geek-immersion experience for those students who live and breath coding and computers.

If creating scripts is a line in the sand you will not cross, this program may not be for you.

Alt Codes

Grade level: 4-12

Alt codes are those symbols that are created by holding down the Alt key and pushing a series of numbers, like these for copyright and the Spanish question mark:

Alt + 0169 = ©

Alt+0191 = ¿

There are hundreds of them for PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Click the link for your digital device.

Tip: Press the ALT key. While it is pressed, put in the numbers from your NUMBER PAD. It doesn’t work using the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Make sure the NUM LOCK is on.

Human Robot

Grade level: K-5

Programming a human robot is an unplugged approach to teaching coding that is a great way to teach sequencing–a critical skill for coding.

Pick an activity—say, taking your seat in the classroom. Ask a student (or several) to explain required steps using another teacher as the ‘robot’. The human robot only does what the student directs (think of the old aphorism ‘garbage in garbage out’ explaining that computers only do what you tell them; nothing more). The human does not guess or extrapolate based on what they think the student wants, merely follows directions. For example:

Move right foot, then left, 4 times.

Turn right; walk 4 steps.

Turn around (left and left again).

Drop backpack to floor (or place under chair).

If the student forgets to say ‘turn around’, the human robot won’t. For more detail, see Dr. Technicko’s popular How to Train Your Robot.

Human Algorithm

Grade level: K-5

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem or completing an activity. Use it in conversation for students, such as, “The algorithm I follow when I get up in the morning is…”  Once students are comfortable with the use of the word, suggest they create their own algorithm, one that describes their morning activities. It might include the following steps (which students will have to re-order):

For youngers, you might have images like the ones above, that reflect the activities. Olders can draw them in the class drawing program (Paint, Google Draw, or another) and then print.

These can be simple or involved, and might tie into inquiry taking place in the classroom. For example, use the stages in an animal’s lifecycle.

Animation

Grade level: 3-12

Use a free program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator or Draw a Stickman to program a stick figure. It’s simple to use and students love exploring the possibilities of making their own animated stories.

If you have IPads, try Stick Nodes or Scribble Movie.

Coding with Pixel Art

Grade level: K-12

Pixel Art is the blocky drawing that looks both amateurish and sophisticated. You’ll recognize it by the:

stair-step edges

limited colors

usually only one focal point to drawing

Before Minecraft’s characters made it recognizable even to kindergartners, players used pixel art in the popular Tetris game.

For this project, provide students with written directions for what color to fill in for which cell, such as:

Blue:                 A1, B1, C1, D1, G1, H1, I1, J1, A2, B2, I2, J2, A3, J3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10

As students fill in the cells, the image is revealed.

Wolfram/Alpha Widget

Grade level: 7-12

Widgets are free personalized mini-apps that can do almost anything the user can program, from calculating the calories in a recipe to solving complex problems. You can either browse Wolfram/Alpha’s gallery for a widget that fits your need and embed the code into your personal website, or you can build your own widget from scratch using their Builder tool. The level of difficulty will determine how long it takes so start simple during Hour of Code.

IFTTT

Grade level: 9-12

IFTTT allows users to create recipes to automate functions, such as being notified when the weather changes or as a reminder of an impending event. It uses a simple statement—IF THIS THEN THAT. Users create a recipe by choosing a trigger channel from over 92 available, then a trigger, and finally an action channel. For example:

IF they post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on Twitter

IF it’s going to rain tomorrow THEN get a text message

IF they are near home THEN turn on your lights

Click for more on IFTTT.

***

That’s it–10 projects that can be completed in the Hour of Code time frame. The good news: Once students try any of these ten, they’ll want more coding.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code published first on http://ift.tt/2gZRS4X

[statrano]

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code

Coding–that geeky subject that confounds students and frightens teachers. Yet, kids who can code are better at logical thinking and problem solving, more independent and self-assured, and more likely to find a job when they graduate. In fact, according to Computer Science Education, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million coding jobs and only 400,000 applicants.

December 4-10, Computer Science Education will host the Hour Of Code–a one-hour introduction to coding, programming, and why students should love it. It’s designed to show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator.

Here are ten projects (each, about one hour in length) you can use in your classroom to participate in this wildly popular event:

Macros

Grade level: 5-12

By fifth grade, students appreciate technology for how it can speed up their class projects and seek out ways to use it to make their educational journey easier. Take advantage of this by introducing pre-programming skills like creating macros. This is an easy way to add MLA headings (or whichever standard your school uses).

Here are the steps for creating a macro in MS Word (adapt for the digital device you use):

Click View>Macros>Record Macros.

Name your macro.

Choose whether it should be a keyboard shortcut or a button.

Once you click OK, you will notice your cursor becomes a cassette tape, indicating that anything you click will be part of the macro. Click all elements you would like to be in your macro.

Stop recording by clicking View>Stop Recording.

Students can use macros authentically in the classwork to do things like add document headings, closings, insert pre-designed tables, and more.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

Shortkeys

Grade level: 5-12

Creating shortkeys for oft-used programs will quickly become a favorite with your students. Here’s how to create one on PCs:

Click Start

Right click on the desired program

Select ‘properties’ (you may have to select “shortcut location” first)

Click in ‘shortcut’

Push the key combination you want to use. In my case, I used Ctrl+Alt+S to invoke the Windows Snipping Tool

Save

IPads call these hotkeys. To create one, go to:

Settings > General Settings > Keyboard Settings

Scroll down and click “add new shortcut”

Be aware: This doesn’t work for every app.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

AutoHotkeys

Grade level: 8-12

Auto Hotkeys is a free download for the Windows platform that enables users to program a series of keystrokes to launch programs, open documents, send mouse clicks and movements–accomplish pretty much anything they want. This is similar to Macros but more versatile. AutoHotkeys, however, is not an intuitive program. There are no menus and no friendly interface. It is a great geek-immersion experience for those students who live and breath coding and computers.

If creating scripts is a line in the sand you will not cross, this program may not be for you.

Alt Codes

Grade level: 4-12

Alt codes are those symbols that are created by holding down the Alt key and pushing a series of numbers, like these for copyright and the Spanish question mark:

Alt + 0169 = ©

Alt+0191 = ¿

There are hundreds of them for PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Click the link for your digital device.

Tip: Press the ALT key. While it is pressed, put in the numbers from your NUMBER PAD. It doesn’t work using the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Make sure the NUM LOCK is on.

Human Robot

Grade level: K-5

Programming a human robot is an unplugged approach to teaching coding that is a great way to teach sequencing–a critical skill for coding.

Pick an activity—say, taking your seat in the classroom. Ask a student (or several) to explain required steps using another teacher as the ‘robot’. The human robot only does what the student directs (think of the old aphorism ‘garbage in garbage out’ explaining that computers only do what you tell them; nothing more). The human does not guess or extrapolate based on what they think the student wants, merely follows directions. For example:

Move right foot, then left, 4 times.

Turn right; walk 4 steps.

Turn around (left and left again).

Drop backpack to floor (or place under chair).

If the student forgets to say ‘turn around’, the human robot won’t. For more detail, see Dr. Technicko’s popular How to Train Your Robot.

Human Algorithm

Grade level: K-5

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem or completing an activity. Use it in conversation for students, such as, “The algorithm I follow when I get up in the morning is…”  Once students are comfortable with the use of the word, suggest they create their own algorithm, one that describes their morning activities. It might include the following steps (which students will have to re-order):

For youngers, you might have images like the ones above, that reflect the activities. Olders can draw them in the class drawing program (Paint, Google Draw, or another) and then print.

These can be simple or involved, and might tie into inquiry taking place in the classroom. For example, use the stages in an animal’s lifecycle.

Animation

Grade level: 3-12

Use a free program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator or Draw a Stickman to program a stick figure. It’s simple to use and students love exploring the possibilities of making their own animated stories.

If you have IPads, try Stick Nodes or Scribble Movie.

Coding with Pixel Art

Grade level: K-12

Pixel Art is the blocky drawing that looks both amateurish and sophisticated. You’ll recognize it by the:

stair-step edges

limited colors

usually only one focal point to drawing

Before Minecraft’s characters made it recognizable even to kindergartners, players used pixel art in the popular Tetris game.

For this project, provide students with written directions for what color to fill in for which cell, such as:

Blue:                 A1, B1, C1, D1, G1, H1, I1, J1, A2, B2, I2, J2, A3, J3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10

As students fill in the cells, the image is revealed.

Wolfram/Alpha Widget

Grade level: 7-12

Widgets are free personalized mini-apps that can do almost anything the user can program, from calculating the calories in a recipe to solving complex problems. You can either browse Wolfram/Alpha’s gallery for a widget that fits your need and embed the code into your personal website, or you can build your own widget from scratch using their Builder tool. The level of difficulty will determine how long it takes so start simple during Hour of Code.

IFTTT

Grade level: 9-12

IFTTT allows users to create recipes to automate functions, such as being notified when the weather changes or as a reminder of an impending event. It uses a simple statement—IF THIS THEN THAT. Users create a recipe by choosing a trigger channel from over 92 available, then a trigger, and finally an action channel. For example:

IF they post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on Twitter

IF it’s going to rain tomorrow THEN get a text message

IF they are near home THEN turn on your lights

Click for more on IFTTT.

***

That’s it–10 projects that can be completed in the Hour of Code time frame. The good news: Once students try any of these ten, they’ll want more coding.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code published first on http://ift.tt/2iEL915

[endevia]

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code

Coding–that geeky subject that confounds students and frightens teachers. Yet, kids who can code are better at logical thinking and problem solving, more independent and self-assured, and more likely to find a job when they graduate. In fact, according to Computer Science Education, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million coding jobs and only 400,000 applicants.

December 4-10, Computer Science Education will host the Hour Of Code–a one-hour introduction to coding, programming, and why students should love it. It’s designed to show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator.

Here are ten projects (each, about one hour in length) you can use in your classroom to participate in this wildly popular event:

Macros

Grade level: 5-12

By fifth grade, students appreciate technology for how it can speed up their class projects and seek out ways to use it to make their educational journey easier. Take advantage of this by introducing pre-programming skills like creating macros. This is an easy way to add MLA headings (or whichever standard your school uses).

Here are the steps for creating a macro in MS Word (adapt for the digital device you use):

Click View>Macros>Record Macros.

Name your macro.

Choose whether it should be a keyboard shortcut or a button.

Once you click OK, you will notice your cursor becomes a cassette tape, indicating that anything you click will be part of the macro. Click all elements you would like to be in your macro.

Stop recording by clicking View>Stop Recording.

Students can use macros authentically in the classwork to do things like add document headings, closings, insert pre-designed tables, and more.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

Shortkeys

Grade level: 5-12

Creating shortkeys for oft-used programs will quickly become a favorite with your students. Here’s how to create one on PCs:

Click Start

Right click on the desired program

Select ‘properties’ (you may have to select “shortcut location” first)

Click in ‘shortcut’

Push the key combination you want to use. In my case, I used Ctrl+Alt+S to invoke the Windows Snipping Tool

Save

IPads call these hotkeys. To create one, go to:

Settings > General Settings > Keyboard Settings

Scroll down and click “add new shortcut”

Be aware: This doesn’t work for every app.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

AutoHotkeys

Grade level: 8-12

Auto Hotkeys is a free download for the Windows platform that enables users to program a series of keystrokes to launch programs, open documents, send mouse clicks and movements–accomplish pretty much anything they want. This is similar to Macros but more versatile. AutoHotkeys, however, is not an intuitive program. There are no menus and no friendly interface. It is a great geek-immersion experience for those students who live and breath coding and computers.

If creating scripts is a line in the sand you will not cross, this program may not be for you.

Alt Codes

Grade level: 4-12

Alt codes are those symbols that are created by holding down the Alt key and pushing a series of numbers, like these for copyright and the Spanish question mark:

Alt + 0169 = ©

Alt+0191 = ¿

There are hundreds of them for PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Click the link for your digital device.

Tip: Press the ALT key. While it is pressed, put in the numbers from your NUMBER PAD. It doesn’t work using the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Make sure the NUM LOCK is on.

Human Robot

Grade level: K-5

Programming a human robot is an unplugged approach to teaching coding that is a great way to teach sequencing–a critical skill for coding.

Pick an activity—say, taking your seat in the classroom. Ask a student (or several) to explain required steps using another teacher as the ‘robot’. The human robot only does what the student directs (think of the old aphorism ‘garbage in garbage out’ explaining that computers only do what you tell them; nothing more). The human does not guess or extrapolate based on what they think the student wants, merely follows directions. For example:

Move right foot, then left, 4 times.

Turn right; walk 4 steps.

Turn around (left and left again).

Drop backpack to floor (or place under chair).

If the student forgets to say ‘turn around’, the human robot won’t. For more detail, see Dr. Technicko’s popular How to Train Your Robot.

Human Algorithm

Grade level: K-5

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem or completing an activity. Use it in conversation for students, such as, “The algorithm I follow when I get up in the morning is…”  Once students are comfortable with the use of the word, suggest they create their own algorithm, one that describes their morning activities. It might include the following steps (which students will have to re-order):

For youngers, you might have images like the ones above, that reflect the activities. Olders can draw them in the class drawing program (Paint, Google Draw, or another) and then print.

These can be simple or involved, and might tie into inquiry taking place in the classroom. For example, use the stages in an animal’s lifecycle.

Animation

Grade level: 3-12

Use a free program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator or Draw a Stickman to program a stick figure. It’s simple to use and students love exploring the possibilities of making their own animated stories.

If you have IPads, try Stick Nodes or Scribble Movie.

Coding with Pixel Art

Grade level: K-12

Pixel Art is the blocky drawing that looks both amateurish and sophisticated. You’ll recognize it by the:

stair-step edges

limited colors

usually only one focal point to drawing

Before Minecraft’s characters made it recognizable even to kindergartners, players used pixel art in the popular Tetris game.

For this project, provide students with written directions for what color to fill in for which cell, such as:

Blue:                 A1, B1, C1, D1, G1, H1, I1, J1, A2, B2, I2, J2, A3, J3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10

As students fill in the cells, the image is revealed.

Wolfram/Alpha Widget

Grade level: 7-12

Widgets are free personalized mini-apps that can do almost anything the user can program, from calculating the calories in a recipe to solving complex problems. You can either browse Wolfram/Alpha’s gallery for a widget that fits your need and embed the code into your personal website, or you can build your own widget from scratch using their Builder tool. The level of difficulty will determine how long it takes so start simple during Hour of Code.

IFTTT

Grade level: 9-12

IFTTT allows users to create recipes to automate functions, such as being notified when the weather changes or as a reminder of an impending event. It uses a simple statement—IF THIS THEN THAT. Users create a recipe by choosing a trigger channel from over 92 available, then a trigger, and finally an action channel. For example:

IF they post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on Twitter

IF it’s going to rain tomorrow THEN get a text message

IF they are near home THEN turn on your lights

Click for more on IFTTT.

***

That’s it–10 projects that can be completed in the Hour of Code time frame. The good news: Once students try any of these ten, they’ll want more coding.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code published first on http://ift.tt/2x0Vr0e

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10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code

Coding–that geeky subject that confounds students and frightens teachers. Yet, kids who can code are better at logical thinking and problem solving, more independent and self-assured, and more likely to find a job when they graduate. In fact, according to Computer Science Education, by 2020, there will be 1.4 million coding jobs and only 400,000 applicants.

December 4-10, Computer Science Education will host the Hour Of Code–a one-hour introduction to coding, programming, and why students should love it. It’s designed to show that anyone can learn the basics to be a maker, a creator, and an innovator.

Here are ten projects (each, about one hour in length) you can use in your classroom to participate in this wildly popular event:

Macros

Grade level: 5-12

By fifth grade, students appreciate technology for how it can speed up their class projects and seek out ways to use it to make their educational journey easier. Take advantage of this by introducing pre-programming skills like creating macros. This is an easy way to add MLA headings (or whichever standard your school uses).

Here are the steps for creating a macro in MS Word (adapt for the digital device you use):

Click View>Macros>Record Macros.

Name your macro.

Choose whether it should be a keyboard shortcut or a button.

Once you click OK, you will notice your cursor becomes a cassette tape, indicating that anything you click will be part of the macro. Click all elements you would like to be in your macro.

Stop recording by clicking View>Stop Recording.

Students can use macros authentically in the classwork to do things like add document headings, closings, insert pre-designed tables, and more.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

Shortkeys

Grade level: 5-12

Creating shortkeys for oft-used programs will quickly become a favorite with your students. Here’s how to create one on PCs:

Click Start

Right click on the desired program

Select ‘properties’ (you may have to select “shortcut location” first)

Click in ‘shortcut’

Push the key combination you want to use. In my case, I used Ctrl+Alt+S to invoke the Windows Snipping Tool

Save

IPads call these hotkeys. To create one, go to:

Settings > General Settings > Keyboard Settings

Scroll down and click “add new shortcut”

Be aware: This doesn’t work for every app.

Click here for more detail and a how-to video.

AutoHotkeys

Grade level: 8-12

Auto Hotkeys is a free download for the Windows platform that enables users to program a series of keystrokes to launch programs, open documents, send mouse clicks and movements–accomplish pretty much anything they want. This is similar to Macros but more versatile. AutoHotkeys, however, is not an intuitive program. There are no menus and no friendly interface. It is a great geek-immersion experience for those students who live and breath coding and computers.

If creating scripts is a line in the sand you will not cross, this program may not be for you.

Alt Codes

Grade level: 4-12

Alt codes are those symbols that are created by holding down the Alt key and pushing a series of numbers, like these for copyright and the Spanish question mark:

Alt + 0169 = ©

Alt+0191 = ¿

There are hundreds of them for PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Click the link for your digital device.

Tip: Press the ALT key. While it is pressed, put in the numbers from your NUMBER PAD. It doesn’t work using the numbers at the top of the keyboard. Make sure the NUM LOCK is on.

Human Robot

Grade level: K-5

Programming a human robot is an unplugged approach to teaching coding that is a great way to teach sequencing–a critical skill for coding.

Pick an activity—say, taking your seat in the classroom. Ask a student (or several) to explain required steps using another teacher as the ‘robot’. The human robot only does what the student directs (think of the old aphorism ‘garbage in garbage out’ explaining that computers only do what you tell them; nothing more). The human does not guess or extrapolate based on what they think the student wants, merely follows directions. For example:

Move right foot, then left, 4 times.

Turn right; walk 4 steps.

Turn around (left and left again).

Drop backpack to floor (or place under chair).

If the student forgets to say ‘turn around’, the human robot won’t. For more detail, see Dr. Technicko’s popular How to Train Your Robot.

Human Algorithm

Grade level: K-5

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem or completing an activity. Use it in conversation for students, such as, “The algorithm I follow when I get up in the morning is…”  Once students are comfortable with the use of the word, suggest they create their own algorithm, one that describes their morning activities. It might include the following steps (which students will have to re-order):

For youngers, you might have images like the ones above, that reflect the activities. Olders can draw them in the class drawing program (Paint, Google Draw, or another) and then print.

These can be simple or involved, and might tie into inquiry taking place in the classroom. For example, use the stages in an animal’s lifecycle.

Animation

Grade level: 3-12

Use a free program like Pivot Stick Figure Animator or Draw a Stickman to program a stick figure. It’s simple to use and students love exploring the possibilities of making their own animated stories.

If you have IPads, try Stick Nodes or Scribble Movie.

Coding with Pixel Art

Grade level: K-12

Pixel Art is the blocky drawing that looks both amateurish and sophisticated. You’ll recognize it by the:

stair-step edges

limited colors

usually only one focal point to drawing

Before Minecraft’s characters made it recognizable even to kindergartners, players used pixel art in the popular Tetris game.

For this project, provide students with written directions for what color to fill in for which cell, such as:

Blue:                 A1, B1, C1, D1, G1, H1, I1, J1, A2, B2, I2, J2, A3, J3, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A10

As students fill in the cells, the image is revealed.

Wolfram/Alpha Widget

Grade level: 7-12

Widgets are free personalized mini-apps that can do almost anything the user can program, from calculating the calories in a recipe to solving complex problems. You can either browse Wolfram/Alpha’s gallery for a widget that fits your need and embed the code into your personal website, or you can build your own widget from scratch using their Builder tool. The level of difficulty will determine how long it takes so start simple during Hour of Code.

IFTTT

Grade level: 9-12

IFTTT allows users to create recipes to automate functions, such as being notified when the weather changes or as a reminder of an impending event. It uses a simple statement—IF THIS THEN THAT. Users create a recipe by choosing a trigger channel from over 92 available, then a trigger, and finally an action channel. For example:

IF they post a photo on Instagram THEN share it on Twitter

IF it’s going to rain tomorrow THEN get a text message

IF they are near home THEN turn on your lights

Click for more on IFTTT.

***

That’s it–10 projects that can be completed in the Hour of Code time frame. The good news: Once students try any of these ten, they’ll want more coding.

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 15 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, CSG Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

10 Projects to Kickstart Hour of Code published first on http://ift.tt/2xZuhEK