Skip to main content

iPad: Week 25 - Swift Playgrounds

So I know that I have already shared with you some of my favorite coding apps on my blog both for iPads and desktops, but I wanted to get back on here and share with you about Apple's Swift Playgrounds that they released as their version of a coding app. As always, something that is based on the device on which it is being played is going to function beautifully, and this is no exception with Swift Playgrounds. I love that Apple shares user guides, help guides, and starts with the most basic versions to get you coding. I wouldn't recommend this as the very first coding you ever do, but I sat in a classroom with many other educators who had never coded before, and they did just fine on this. It does require more reading, so I would recommend it to students who are readers, but we all know that our students are smart enough to figure lots of things out without reading the directions.



I love the cute little character that Apple came up with and I also like that there are many levels and layers to the Playgrounds app. I have been working on it in my free time since FETC (end of January) and I still haven't completed all the levels. 

I look forward to using Playgrounds often in my classroom next year. 

Happy Coding,
Hilary 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Build Your Wild Self {Animal Adaptations}

Build Your Wild Self  was a site that I just stumbled upon, but was probably one of my students favorite activities that we did all year. Basically, students are able to create themselves by playing with their body, hair, eyes, mouth, clothes. They can then make themselves "wild" by adding headgear, ears, face, arms, bottoms, backsides, and tails that are all body parts of wild animals. This activity isn't all fun though - there is educational value too! Once the students are done creating their "wild self" they will click I'M DONE. This will take them to the next page where it will explain to the students what is "wild" about them. It will tell them where their wild parts came from and why those parts are important to the survival of that particular animal. So there you have it - educational and a ton of fun! Just wait to see what kind of creatures your students come up with! It will be entertaining, I guarantee you that much. Try it ou...

Powtoon {Cartoon Presentation Software}

Powtoon was introduced to me by a friend who was working on a presentation for one of our professional development days. She was talking about how boring PowerPoint could get when it was presenting information to those who were forced to attend meetings. She was going to try something different - and that is where Powtoon came in. Powtoon is a presentation software that allows you to share information using cartoons, speech bubbles, and animations.  Basically, you can make cartoons enter and exit your screen at any point, and they can share information while they are there. Think about Saturday morning cartoons that you are creating yourself to share something that is of interest to you! There are some great graphics and you can even add your own images and sound. Let's be real here, who wouldn't like a presentation where cartoons are teaching you about the next latest and greatest in the world of education? Try it out & let me know what you think, Mrs. Tech ...

Easy Teacher Halloween Costumes

As we prep for Halloween, I wanted to share with you some super easy costume ideas that I have found that I think our students would enjoy. I have linked them all to their original source (if I could find it) so you can read any helpful hints they might have posted. Emojis Smarty Pants If You Give A Mouse a Cookie (& friends) Monsters University Winnie the Pooh Crew Cookie Monster Thing 1 & 2 M&Ms What are you dressing up as for Halloween? - Hilary