Thanks to an awesome teacher Michele Baumann and a forward-thinking principal Keith Lewis, the Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School in Gardnerville, NV decided to introduce a regular computer programming course with Karel the Robot in NCLab. The course takes 4-5 weeks, with 45 minutes per day. It is self-paced, so that students of all skill levels and abilities find their fun, challenge, and satisfaction. If you are a teacher, we’ll be happy to give you free evaluation access and guide you through the course. No need to have prior knowledge of computer programming. Check the teachers’ page for details. More about the Karel programming course can be found here.
Today was a special day – the first time we gave the kids an algorithmic thinking pre-test. After they finish the Karel course, we will test their algorithmic thinking again, to see whether there are tractable improvements. The pre-test is still under review by several teachers, and then it will be done at all schools that use NCLab. Do you think that we are anxious and excited in anticipation of the results? Oh yes!
