SBISD Code Camp (6th-8th): Wednesday

Light-bot

As students arrived, they began the morning in Light-bot. Light-bot is a simple programming game which originally began in 2008 by Danny Yaroslavski. At the time, Yaroslavski was still in high school and creating flash games just for fun. Lightbot was one of several he'd created. In 2009, while interning at Armor Games, Yaroslavski released Light-bot 2.0. As an undergrad at the University of Waterloo, Yaroslavski has received an award of $4,000 for the game.

In the game Light-bot, computer science concepts are built into the game's core mechanics, creating a fun way to practice programming logic in a way other than coding. Students command Light-bot through a GUI (Graphic User Interface) to navigate a board and light up each blue tile present. The game starts simple, but with time requires a fair level of problem solving.

The original game can be played online for free. The sequel adds new concepts and capabilities, including a level editor and is also a free online flash game. Yaroslavski has released a new official mobile version (Android & iOS), redesigned to better teach CS concepts, as well as the new Light-bot Jr (Android & iOS) for younger players. Yaroslavski intends to continue testing and developing Light-bot.

The game is utilized in many high school and even college and university introductory CS courses, but is also approachable for children. The game has also been featured in a variety of educational resources, including Code.org's Hour of Code and Common Sense Media's Summer Learning Guide.

Starting Stencyl

Stencyl is a game-design program that can create 2-d games for flash, iOS, Android, or desktop platforms. Through creating games with Stencyl, students can create and modify behaviors using a visual programming environment similar to Tynker, but specifically designed for the development of games.

To create or modify behaviors, students must classify objects, set and define variables, Students were assisted in the process of creating a simple platformer. Students ready to move to more complex concepts can also attempt to create a shmup-type game (like Space Invaders or Galaga).

Students can test their creations at nearly any point, and as many times as they choose through exporting their project as an all-included flash file.

Choice Project

After lunch, students were allowed to choose in which environment they'd like to further work in to design a cs-related product in. Students could go back to create a game or animation using visual programming via Tynker, create a work of digital art or interactive animation through JavaScript via Khan Academy, create custom programs using JavaScript for Karel in CodeHS, or pursue game development through visual programming in Stencyl.

Below are screenshots of student projects currently in progress. These images were taken and uploaded by our students during their work this afternoon.