Published in Grok Learning·Feb 27, 2019Making Web Pages Interactive: 5 neat features of our upcoming JavaScript courseWe’ve had a tonne of fun coming up with our new “Interactive Web Pages with JavaScript” course. This course has been in the works for more than a year, and something we’ve wanted to do ever since our first Web.Comp in 2015. It’s also something we know that many teachers…Web Development6 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Nov 28, 2018Can coding really be creative?When we think about creativity and creative people we tend to think of famous artists, writers, musicians, photographers or more recently, film makers. Each of these use a different medium, some creating with words, others creating with pictures. Today different technologies have enabled a huge growth of creative mediums. You…Storytelling4 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Nov 13, 2018Running Python on your Brain ComputerIn August I gave a talk at PyCon AU in their Education track about students’ mental models of computation and how these mental models can cause misunderstandings and mistakes. When we teach coding, it’s common to focus on the syntax and composition of code, assuming that the “reading” of code will follow. For some students code just makes sense, but others struggle understanding what this stuff means. They need help reading code as much as writing it.Programming1 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Oct 3, 20183 neat ways to use the Grok TerminalA nifty feature of Grok that many students and teachers don’t know about is Grok’s Python Terminal. It’s a bit of a mystery, so in this blog post I’ll explain how you can use it, and try to dispel the mystery around it! First off, what is the Terminal? It’s…Programming5 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Apr 6, 2018JavaScript’s Hello WorldJavaScript on the Web has a lot of what we want in an educational coding environment. You can easily build interactive user interfaces and games, the applications are portable and work on every device, and it uses a popular real world programming language. The big downside of JavaScript on the…Java Script4 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Feb 21, 2018Making coding more accessibleFor 2018 we’re trying an experiment: we’ve changed our pricing model substantially and hopefully for the better. Previously we charged a flat rate; every student cost the same. This year we’ve introduced a new scheme that makes Grok cheaper with every subscription you purchase. Here’s how it works:Education4 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Sep 22, 20175 Pitch Perfect ProjectsWe often find that it’s difficult to set realistic projects for students who are just beginning to learn to code. They all want to make apps and games just like the ones they use, but those can take months (or years) of work! …Coding4 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Jul 5, 2017Making games is not the only way to learn codeVideo games are great, making them is extraordinarily creative and fulfilling, but they’re not the only way to learn to code. There are so many different projects we can make, so many different fields to explore, yet it seems like learning to make games is always at the top of…Coding6 min read
Published in Grok Learning·Mar 17, 2017Bringing students’ websites to the webFeature Spotlight — One of the most enjoyable parts of programming is sharing something you’ve created with other people. Whether it’s a small text program, a website, a wearable device or an app — everyone enjoys showing off what they’ve made. …Web Development4 min read
Published in Learning Learning Science·Aug 1, 2015Understanding in Human LearningThis article is part of a series on Learning Learning Science. Modern education is an incredible feat. Packed within my brain is thousands of years of knowledge. Yet if much of my knowledge was tested in practice it would probably be ineffective or useless. For example, if I was set…Education4 min read
