Looking for a way to introduce coding to young students? Code.org offer free online courses that help students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. This site has courses for all ages, and I've used it with students as young as Kindergartners. The courses start with simple drag and drop exercizes, perfect for students who have not had prior experience using computers in the home. The content gets increasingly challenging, with students solving problems to move characters through mazes. The site does a great job of engaging students with characters from Angry Birds and other popular games. Teachers can set up a class in code.org to save student progress, and use the interface on desktop computers or tablets. Since the courses are free, teachers can try the courses with their classes risk free. The multiple levels make it possible for students at all levels of computer literacy to benefit! Check out the site at code.org.
