Peer Review

Code.org: A Sensational Success in Education

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Reviewed:: Dec 11, 2020 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

The learning site explains the importance of computer science to the 21st-century society with emphasis on the need to learn to code. It also elucidates on how students can learn computer science with mention of the ways teachers and parents can assist them to learn coding with ease. The materials also provided details of the materials (texts, audios, videos and images) needed for mastery of concepts.

Code.org provides an outstanding, creative, entertaining, and educational model for teaching students and adults how to write code for computer programming languages. Take their "Hour of Code(TM) Challenge" and you begin to see why "anybody can learn how to code." Seeing the remarkable success of young students in learning how to write lines of code is inspirational in seeing how these students are beginning to take social responsibility for their own Education in learning how to apply their own creativity and imagination in creating computer apps and games for others to enjoy. Coding is the Global Language of Science and Technology that students need to learn today in school.

Type of Material:

Learning Object Repository

Recommended Uses:

The full-length coding courses and the one-hour tutorials are designed for all ages. Besides many coding tutorials and projects, Code.org offers an App Lab, Game Lab and Web Labe which can be connected to any course to teach students how to create apps, animations, and games in JavaScript. These tools and resources can be used in-class, as homework, independent practice, unplugged group activities, team challenges, and class discussion.

Technical Requirements:

Code.org recommends at least a 15 MBit/sec Internet connection for your school.
The smallest screen size we support is 1024x728 px.
Users will need a desktop or laptop computer with a mouse (or touchpad) and keyboard for our middle and high school-level courses: CS Discoveries, CS Principles, and Intro to App Lab. Most tablets and mobile devices are not supported for these courses. See "Mobile and Tablet Support Details" below for device-specific exceptions.
Chromebooks are compatible with 100% of Code.org courses and content.
All other content, such as K-5 courses (Computer Science Fundamentals) and Hour of Code activities are compatible on iPads and Chromebooks in addition to all other modern tablets and laptop or desktop computers.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

Students will be able to define computer science and highlight its importance in their lives.
Students will be able to identify other venues to learn computer science and coding.
Students will be able to identify key computer vocabulary.
Students will be able to differentiate between machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Students will be able to explain how human bias in data supplied to computers can impact their decision-making capacities.
Students will be able to explain how the effect of human bias can be controlled.
Students will be able to create apps, games and share them and develop websites.

Target Student Population:

The learning site is suitable for Computer Science students at elementary, middle and high schools.
Students offering Computer Science at higher institutions can also learn from the site to lay a proper foundation for quality higher learning.
It is also a medium for teachers to learn the best pedagogies to teach certain concepts in Computer Science.
The learning repository is also useful for parents and other professionals to understand what is happening around them and in the digital world.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

None. The site is designed for curious beginners to those who have some experience and want to learn more.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The learning repository is clear, concise and grounded in the computer science discipline.
The learning material is about emerging trends in the world around us and provides accurate information about them.
The materials included for learning in the repository are adequate, summarize the concept well and integrate them correctly.
Guidance by the teacher will help students to select appropriate activities from the curriculum. Teachers should look at the curriculum because it includes detailed lesson plans, videos, handouts, offline activities, and online tutorials.

Concerns:

Although there are inspiring videos of several people who made their marks in life through computer science and coding featured well in videos, no citation was made within the material’s text.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The learning repository clearly states the learning objectives at the beginning of each topic.
Although the material did not identify the prerequisite knowledge, the concepts were reinforced progressively. Each new topic was built on earlier learned topics. This makes it very efficient for the learning of the coding concepts. The learning material lists activities to undertake by the learners at the end of each lesson.
The material is effective in advancing the quality of learning in coding.

Concerns:

The repository explains the concept without identifying the skills required of the students for effective learning.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The site has an intuitive design that is easy to navigate. Across the top the tabs--Learn, Teach, Projects, Stats, Helpus, and About are clearly labeled. In the upper right corner there are drop-down menus for creating with one of the projects, signing in, and finding answers to questions. There are several videos and tutorials for students and teachers that introduce coding concepts for immediate immersion. Charts clearly show recommended courses for elementary, middle, and high school students. Code.org also provides professional development opportunities and community support for teachers.

Other Issues and Comments:: The embedded videos are inspiring and demonstrate applications of the concept (coding) in the real world. However, it may be difficult to use for students in countries with bad internet facilities.
Creative Commons: