Overview
Once you have opened an activity, you are now in the Code View (see below). The Code View is the main teaching view that you will use throughout the course for all of the lesson activities. It is where you will deliver instruction and code along with your students.
The Code View is organized into 3 main sections:
- Left Panel - used to access Code Assist, the Project panel, and Slides with notes
- Center section - contains the Code Editor
- Right Panel - used to access Teach Assist, Code Instructions and the Assignment panels
Let's learn how to interact with the panels in each main section:
Interactive Demos below
Code View Interaction
Code Editor
Code Assist Panel
The Code Assist Panel is the same panel your students can access.
It is a block palette where you can view blocks by category. You can drag blocks from the Code Assist Panel to the Code Editor in the middle.
Project Panel
Slide Panel
Assignment Panel
The Assignment Panel is designed for teaching Teacher/Student Coding Exercises.
The Assignment Panel contains all the information that you and students need to code an assignment in one place. In the Assignment Panel, you can read a description of the program, review the features of the program, run the solution program, and view optional challenge features.
As a teacher, you also have access to the solution for each step in the Assignment Panel.
Code Instructions Panel
The Code Instructions Panel is designed for teaching Instruction Activities as well as Coding Technique Demos.
The Code Instructions Panel supports and scaffolds your instructional delivery by providing a list of step-by-step code instructions for you on how to demonstrate a computer science concept in code.
Teach Assist Panel
Teach Assist is a teacher scaffolding tool that provides you with instructional “callouts” that explain code while suggesting thought-provoking discussion questions that engage and challenge students.
Teach Assist Overview:
Teach assist is a feature that allows you to quickly get connected with TechSmart employees who can help with any questions you have. To better aid you we have several types to choose from.
Topic Definition | Code Technique | Prompting Questions | Tricky Point |
Types of Teach Assist™ "tweets":
Topic Definitions
Topic Definitions are keywords and definitions that are specific to that lesson.
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Review Topic Definitions using Teach Assist
Teacher: “Who can tell me what a Frame is? “
Students: …. attempts to provide definition.
Teacher: Provide Topic Definition “Frame is a single image of set of actions that when repeated creates motion.”
Teacher: Close Topic Definition by clicking the minimize icon .
Coding Technique
Coding Technique will appear when the line of code that is being written is part of a Coding Technique that was practiced earlier in the lesson.
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Review Coding Technique using Teach Assist.
Teacher: “Who can tell me what coding technique we are using here?”
Students: … attempts to provide which Coding Technique it was
Teacher: “This was the Smooth Movement technique that makes Sprites move at a steady pace”
Prompting Questions
Prompting Questions are questions specific to the program at that specific line of code that will check student understanding of the program and what that line of code is doing.
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Ask Prompting Questions and explain the line of code using Teach Assist.
Teacher: Read Prompting Question from Teach Assist. “Why does this movement look smooth?”
Student: …attempts to answer.
Teacher: Provide Prompting Question explanation from Teach Assist. “We put the sprite in a slightly different spot each frame. It happens so fast that our eyes blur it together as movement.”
Teacher: Close Prompting Question box.
Tricky Point
Tricky Point is a question specific to the line of code. It highlights an advanced concept that is often hard to understand for students.
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Discuss Tricky Point using Teach Assist. [OPTIONAL]
Teacher: Read Tricky Point question from Teach Assist. “Why doesn’t Splash flip until after the wait”
Student: …attempts to answer.
Teacher: Provide Tricky Point explanation from Teach Assist.
“Visual updates to the program (drawing the frame) happen at the end of each frame. Since this wait occurs in the middle of the frame, the drawing update doesn't get a chance to happen until afterward.”
Teacher: Close Tricky Point box.
NOTE: Only cover tricky points if you feel the class needs to be challenged with this additional more advanced information.