Coding Foundations

Name: Coding Foundations
Rating: 4.2 (14 reviews)

Learn to think like a professional computer programmer!

Created byAlex Leone

Last updated 7/2020

English

What you'll learn

Skills and techniques used by professional programmers.
How to build games and programs you can show off to your friends.
How to use loops, if statements, variables, lists, events and more!
Programming knowledge that can be brought into any professional language you like.

Course content

10 sections • 58 lectures • 5h 31m total length

Welcome to Computer Programming!2:26
What is computer programming? What do you think it is?
But I Already Know This!1:29
For Parents: How to Teach Programming4:05
Tips for parents or guardians to help their middle or high school students succeed in this course.
What We Won't Learn In This Course1:10
This is stuff we won't cover in this course, but that you need to do the work in here. If you don't know this stuff, go learn about it first!
Welcome to LEVEL 1!0:35
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 1 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 1 Projects!
LEVEL 1: Create a New Scratch Project6:50
Create your first Scratch project with the Scratch offline editor!
LEVEL 1: Setting the Stage3:54
Learn about the Stage in your Scratch project, including how to add a backdrop.
LEVEL 1: Creating a Sprite6:31
Learn how to create Sprites in Scratch, and how to change the way they look or the direction they point.
LEVEL 1: Talking to the Computer6:52
Give the computer our first command! Here we start telling the computer what to do.
LEVEL 1: Do More Things!16:31
Learn how to give our Sprites all sorts of commands, including how to play sounds, say messages, and respond to mouse clicks or key presses.
How Do I Start?0:52
Now you know how to make computer programs in Scratch. What do you do now?
How Projects Work in this Course1:38
Learn how Projects and Levels work in this course, and how to decide what to work on next.
Help, I'm Stuck!1:49
What do you do when you're stuck with your program and can't figure it out?
How to Ask Questions in this Course0:13
Think Like a Programmer1:56
Learn how to think like a programmer! This is the first step to becoming a successful programmer.
How to Submit Your Scratch Projects8:21
Learn how submit your Scratch projects for any of the Project assignments for this course.
LEVEL 1 PROJECT: Scene from a Movie
LEVEL 1 PROJECT: Music Box
LEVEL 1 PROJECT: Keyboard Computer
LEVEL 1 PROJECT: Identify Me

Welcome to LEVEL 2!0:21
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 2 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 2 Projects!
LEVEL 2: Cartesian Movement, part 15:53
Learn the basics of how to use Cartesian Movement to move Sprites in Scratch.
LEVEL 2: Which Corner?
LEVEL 2: Cartesian Movement, part 26:34
Learn more about how to use Cartesian Movement to move Sprites in Scratch.
LEVEL 2: Vector Movement, part 14:53
Learn the basics of how to use Vector Movement to move Sprites in Scratch.
LEVEL 2: What Direction?
LEVEL 2: Vector Movement, part 210:28
Learn more about how to use Vector Movement to move Sprites in Scratch.
LEVEL 2: Now Do It Again!9:05
Learn how to use the repeat block to repeat commands in Scratch!
LEVEL 2 PROJECT: Move Me
LEVEL 2 PROJECT: Scene from a Movie, part 2
LEVEL 2 PROJECT: Regular Motion
LEVEL 2 PROJECT: A-Maze-ing

Welcome to LEVEL 3!0:20
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 3 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 3 Projects!
LEVEL 3: Taking Input8:58
Learn how to let the user answer questions in your program.
LEVEL 3: Values13:28
Learn how to use value blocks in Scratch. There are a lot of different value blocks in Scratch!
LEVEL 3: On One Condition10:35
Make your program smart by running code in your program only if some condition is true.
LEVEL 3: More Conditions13:27
Find out about all the different conditions that you can use in Scratch to run your code conditionally and make your program even smarter.
LEVEL 3 PROJECT: Hello, You
LEVEL 3 PROJECT: Regular Motion, part 2
LEVEL 3 PROJECT: No Touchy
LEVEL 3 PROJECT: A Guessing Game
LEVEL 3 PROJECT: Quiz Show

Welcome to LEVEL 4!0:24
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 4 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 4 Projects!
LEVEL 4: Boolean Logic13:28
Make your programs even smarter by using complex Boolean values to express what you really want your computer to do.
How to Think in Boolean2:43
Pay attention to the words you use when you think about or describe your program! Some of your thoughts may be computer language already. You may even be thinking in Boolean!
Is it a Boolean?
How to Think in Conditionals2:47
Recognize when you use Conditionals when you're describing or thinking about your program.
Is it a Conditional?
LEVEL 4: Say When (Repeat Until)7:37
Make your program repeat your code until you say it should stop!
Pair Programming (Optional)5:13
Get ready to program together with your friends! Pair programming is a technique that professionals use to program faster and better.
LEVEL 4 PROJECT: Not Right Yet
LEVEL 4 PROJECT: They're Both Right!
LEVEL 4 PROJECT: Choose Your Own Adventure

Welcome to LEVEL 5!0:17
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 5 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 5 Projects!
LEVEL 5: Variables are Like Buckets22:41
Make the computer remember what you want it to remember. That's the power of variables!
Finding Good Names6:33
What's the most difficult thing in computer programming? Naming things well!
LEVEL 5 PROJECT: Simple Clicker
LEVEL 5 PROJECT: Gotta Go Fast
LEVEL 5 PROJECT: Secret Answer
LEVEL 5 PROJECT: Click to Win

Welcome to the BIG PROJECT!0:17
This is your first Big Project in Scratch! Take some time to try to solve the big problem of how to make a whole game.
How to Solve a Problem2:37
Learn strategies that professional computer programmers use to solve big problems.
Make a Plan1:18
More about the first problem solving strategy: Make a Plan.
Never Get Frustrated1:50
More about the second problem solving strategy: Never Get Frustrated.
Explain the Problem2:06
More about the third problem solving strategy: Explain the Problem.
Divide the Problem Up3:10
More about the fourth problem solving strategy: Divide the Problem Up.
Start With What You Know3:01
More about the fifth problem solving strategy: Start With What You Know.
Solving a Big Problem1:29
Now that you have strategies you can use to solve big problems, put them to use in the next assignment!
Recreate a Game

Welcome to LEVEL 7!0:19
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 7 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 7 Projects!
LEVEL 7: How to Clone14:17
Create copies of your sprites while your program runs with clones! Here's the basics of how to clone your sprites.
LEVEL 7: The Clone Lifecycle11:57
The Clone Lifecycle is a rule or way of using sprites that simplifies our programs.
LEVEL 7 Project: Shooter Guy
LEVEL 7 Project: Catch the Falling Stars
LEVEL 7 Project: Whack a Sprite

Welcome to LEVEL 8!0:16
If you already know this stuff, skip the LEVEL 8 Videos and go straight to the LEVEL 8 Projects!
LEVEL 8: Custom Events18:16
Use custom events to make your program listen for events that Scratch doesn't normally listen for.
Custom Blocks16:40
Use custom blocks to make your code simpler and easier to understand. This is especially useful for working on really big projects!
LEVEL 8 Project: Main Menu
LEVEL 8 Project: All the Same
LEVEL 8 Project: Tic Tac Toe

Welcome to your FINAL PROJECT!0:27
This is big project at the end. Don't skip any videos, and good luck with the project! Remember to ask questions if you get stuck.
Final Project Overview2:07
Get ready to work on your final project for this course!
Pick Your Project
User Stories5:15
User Stories are how we keep track of what the user or the player is able to do with our program.
Plan Your Project
MVP (Minimum Viable Product)3:05
The Minimum Viable Product is the smallest thing you can make that still works!
Plan Your MVP
Start Your Project1:28
Just make your MVP to start.
Make Your MVP
Complete Your Project
Usability Testing (Optional)6:31
Usability testing helps us understand how people use our programs when we aren't around to explain how they work.
Usability Testing (Optional)

Requirements

Comfort using your web browser
A two-button mouse, or the ability to right-click
Some understanding of basic algebra, geometry, or logic (helpful, but not required, you'll learn what you need to know in this course)

Description

Coding Foundations will teach you to think the same way that professional programmers do!

Build your own computer games and programs from the ground up using problem-solving skills and foundational programming techniques. This course gives you the tools you need to easily approach more advanced, professional programming languages—like C++, Python, C#, or Java—without feeling lost or unsure of where to start.

Use the Scratch programming language from MIT to learn how to use professional programming tools like iteration, conditionals, variables, arrays, events, and functions. Plan out your projects and tackle new, big problems using the same methods as professional programmers.

Includes:

Techniques and strategies from professionals, accessible to beginners.
Over 30 projects to practice on.
Quizzes and slides to learn at your own pace and style.
One year of direct support from the Instructor.

Coding Foundations was designed with middle and high school students in mind but is for anyone who wants to learn to program using a powerful but easy-to-understand programming environment.

Who this course is for:

High school students
Middle school students
Programming beginners who want to learn to program using a powerful but easy-to-understand programming language

Coding Foundations

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction and LEVEL 1 - Tutorial16 lectures • 1hr 5min

LEVEL 2 - Moving Your Sprite6 lectures • 37min

LEVEL 3 - The If Statement5 lectures • 47min

LEVEL 4 - Conditions6 lectures • 32min

LEVEL 5 - Variables3 lectures • 30min

BIG PROJECT8 lectures • 16min

LEVEL 6 - Lists2 lectures • 24min

LEVEL 7 - Clones3 lectures • 27min

LEVEL 8 - Events and Custom Blocks3 lectures • 35min

FINAL PROJECT6 lectures • 19min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: