February 11, 2017

1. Open up your internet connection and connect to “Fiber Public WiFi“

2. Can’t connect? Raise your hand and a mentor will get you a hotspot to connect to.

3. We recommend using the Google Chrome browser.

If you don’t know which programming language to start learning, we recommend Scratch (if Scratch is not to your speed, check out the typing.io link in the sidebar on the right).

You will need a parent or guardian’s help to create a Scratch login:

1. Click “Join Scratch” in the upper right-hand corner of the Scratch site.
2. Create a username that does not include your real name.
3. Think of a password that you can remember easily. You should have your parent or guardian write this down and save it.
4. Click “Next” and continue following the directions. You will need a valid email address (yours or your guardian’s) to continue.

Once you have a Scratch login, use the links below to build something awesome.

1. Are you brand new to coding? Start with Codecademy (recommended for 13 years & up) or Scratch (recommended for 12 years & under).  Want to try building your own phone application? Check out App Inventor! Be sure to create an account and write down your username and password so you won’t forget!

2. Do you have a little coding under your belt? Are you ready to learn more? Check out these fun games:

• CodeAvengers – learn to build javascript apps
• CodeCombat -Learn how to code by playing a game
• CSS Diner -A game for learning CSS selectors
• Flexbox Froggy – A game for learning CSS flexbox
• Flexbox Defense – Another game for learning CSS flexbox
• Super Markup Man – learn html
• Untrusted – a user javascript adventure game

3. Were you working on a project from our last session? Feel free to continue on that, and ask mentors if you need any help!

4. Get started on the new project. We can’t wait to see what you create!

Mastery – Feeling masterful? Check out the requirements for our mastery badges. You can earn cool pins!

Today’s theme: Keep track of your own New Years Resolutions. What do you want to learn this year?

Today’s Concept: Variables

In mathematics, we learn that a variable is something unknown that can take a value. In early math, you might see: 2 + □ = 5; we know that □ is 3. Later on, that becomes 2 + X = 5; we know that X = 3 in order for that math sentence to make sense.

In programming, variables can be something unknown that takes a value, as in the case of a variable that takes the value of something that the user inputs. A variable can also take on the value of something more complicated to make referencing that complicated thing more easy. This can be like setting a variable pi to “3.141592653589” instead of having to type out all of those numbers each time you want to use them.

Perhaps variables can be illustrated with a joke:

A man is sent to prison for the first time. At night, the lights in the cell block are turned off, and his cellmate goes over to the bars and yells, “Number twelve!” The whole cell block breaks out laughing. A few minutes later, somebody else in the cell block yells, “Number four!” Again, the whole cell block breaks out laughing.

The new guy asks his cellmate what’s going on. “Well,” says the older prisoner, “we’ve all been in this here prison for so long, we all know the same jokes. So we just yell out the number instead of saying the whole joke.”

So the new guy walks up to the bars and yells, “Number six!” There was dead silence in the cell block. He asks the older prisoner, “What’s wrong? Why didn’t I get any laughs?”

“Well,” said the older man, “sometimes it’s not the joke, but how you tell it.”

A variable can also be changed; think about having a variable called “high score.”

In Scratch, you can create a data variable and give it a value. The variable can be used by either the sprite or all sprites. You can show your variable and its value on the stage if you want to; this would be useful for a game score.
Additional information about Scratch variables

In JavaScript, you can create a variable and give it a value.
var myCity = "Kansas City";
Additional information about JS variables

For today’s session, we want to see at least two things in order to be eligible for presenting to the group: The theme of what you want to learn in 2017 and use at least 3 variables.

Example Project:

• Scratch: Things to Learn
• JavaScript: Things to Learn

Did you create something awesome based off of one of these projects? Come present it on stage! Presentations will start at 11:00 am. Let a mentor know you want to show off your work. Scratch projects that will be presented will be added the CoderDojoKC Studio by Mentor Eric.

**Presentations may not contain any politics, violence, gore, or bad words. (And we’re counting “sucks” as a bad word!)