SXSW Panel Picker: Beyond Turtles: Using Games to Teach Real Code

Hi!  It's that time of the year again for the SXSW 2017 Panel Picker.  Please vote for our panel on game-based computer science education.  We'll explain why game-based learning is good for computer science education and spotlight learning games used in classrooms now.

Register to vote and cast your vote here:
http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/66615

Beyond Turtles: Using Games to Teach Real Code

Session Description:

It’s 2017! Your students need to learn computer science. How do you teach them in a way that gets them excited about coding? How do you reach geeks and non-geeks, girls and boys, computer experts and total novices? How do you do this without a CS degree, comprehensive curriculum resources and standards, and a magic wand of learnination?

A diverse panel of learning experts will dive into how game-based learning can create growth mindsets and overwhelming coding obsessions in every student. We’ll discuss what to look for in learning games, common pitfalls in teaching CS and bringing games into the classroom, and how to be the content expert without having studied CS before.

Panelists:

• Jonathan Schor, CodeMonkey Studios
• Robin Yang, CodeCombat
• Sande Chen, Independent
• Allysin Levy, Brainpop

And here's an interview I did with Microsoft New York on the importance of computer science education during Computer Science Education Week last year.