Lesson 4
Let's make sure we know each other! Ask for a name tag if you don't already have one.
Some students will teach Zip-Zap-Boing to the others.
Let's make a list of all of the programming questions we'd like to get answered today, and put them on the whiteboard. When you have time, put your initials next to the questions that interest you the most.
We'll now spend 30 minutes where you can ask the volunteers with help on serious questions that have really been blocking your progress through the Khan Academy course.
If you have other more advanced questions that aren't blocking you, please don't ask them yet (unless you see that the volunteers are clearly not busy helping with more fundamental issues). We'll have time later for those questions.
The instructor will do some live-coding to demonstrate solutions to some of the class's common questions. This means they will be showing their screen on the projector and working on solving a problem. This is a very effective way to learn! The instructors are professionals and there are many small (and large!) tips you can pick up from them.
Can you spot the instructor's coding mistakes before they do? (There will definitely be some, that is normal!)
The instructor will likely ask for suggestions on how to do something from the class = speak up, it helps the their teaching. Don't worry about getting the answer "wrong" - there is no one correct way. They might also ask you to do some of the coding, please contribute and don't worry about mistakes!
Tip: A quiet class with no questions or suggestions is a difficult class to teach
You will give a very, very simple 2 minute presentation to 2 or 3 other students and a volunteer (if one is available). Before the presentations we'll have 5 minutes to prep. Pick your favourite project (or the one that's most interesting to talk about) and get ready to explain:
What you added to it
What was difficult
What you like and don't like about it
What you would add if you had time
Any parts of the code you still don't understand and might want help with
With your group, find a quiet space, and set a stopwatch for 2 minutes and present.
If you need a reminder of how to give a good presentation, see the tips from lesson 3​
Like last week, we'll work in pairs to make the changes to your favourite Khan Academy you described in your presentation earlier. Remember that if you and your pair are totally stuck on something, ask a volunteer to help you - they're here to help!
If you have finished all of the Khan Academy projects up to and including the arrays and objects sections and you need some inspiration, here is a list of further challenges. These mostly challenge you to return to an earlier project and make a spin-off which uses objects and/or arrays to make it better, cleaner, and to make it easier for you to do cooler things!
It's good to code with a friend. You learn SO much. Programmers call this pair programming and many professional teams program in pairs for a part of each day.
If you need a reminder on how to pair-program effectively, see the the notes from lesson 3.
​Instructors see here for instructions​
Each student will have a pairing session with one of the instructors to solve a programming problem using the Khan Academy Intro to JavaScript environment. We'll see how you're getting on, what help you need, and hopefully you'll get some tips from the instructor!
​Instructors see here for instructions​
Let's do the first Kahoot quiz again, to find out if you feel any differently about programming now.
​Instructors see here for instructions​
Looking back at the concept roadmap, believe it or not, you've been learning the basics of programming, relevant to a whole range of coding jobs.
Now the instructors will look at specific elements you've learned about and how they're relevant elsewhere.
Outside of the Khan Academy course platform, you'll see some differences in JavaScript:
letandconstused instead ofvarFunctions can be created many ways (the Khan Academy way is uncommon)
More features to learn about
...
We'll have a look at some of our favourite free resources - both online and in person - which can help you towards a career in programming and web development.
See Free Resources for this content
Make sure you understand the coursework for next week before you leave the classroom. See Google Classroom for the definitive list of coursework assignments. Make sure you check it regularly.
Finish the Khan Academy: Intro to JS course.
IMPORTANT!!
You should SKIP the "Object-Orientated Design" section. It is out-of-date and confusing!
Continue to Week 4 of the Learning How to Learn course. It should take around 4 hours to complete.
If you enjoyed using JavaScript to make drawings and animations, we recommend further study and play with the p5.js library, using the OpenProcessing platform or CodePen.
Here are some notes on moving to p5.js.
If we have time, we will do a short workshop on moving your work to to p5.js.
Here is an essay by Jason Bailey about "generative art". It has lots of interesting examples which might inspire you: "Why Love Generative Art?". If you use Twitter, here is a recommended "generative" artist: https://twitter.com/manoloidee.
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We'd love your feedback on what to improve with this course. Please spend two minutes filling in this form.
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