Ready
Ready is a game-builder app that enables users to create their own digital games. The app utilizes Computational Thinking strategies and pseudocode logic to encourage the creative programming skills needed for game design and implementation.
That app offers a graphic interface built on top of Unity, letting users bring their games to life.
In this project, I led the Computation Thinking Curriculum design initiative, designed around the Ready app. This project is aligned with both the Common Core Standards, focusing on Reading – Informational Texts strand for grades 5 - 7 as well as the CSTA Standards.
The curriculum package is designed to provide instructors with:
1. Tutorial Projects – These project act as a starting point to highlight specific computational thinking skills. The tutorial project leads student through step by step instructions to create a specific game or project.
2. Discussion Prompts – Discussion prompts are built into the tutorials, encouraging students to reflect on their work, and experiment with new skills.
3. Game Design Challenges – These project starters provide boundaries for creative implementation of learned strategies. They enable students to implement computational thinking strategies in new ways, by creating new games that are related to the tutorial projects, or by adding modifications to the projects they’ve created with support.
4. Assessment Materials – As part of the curriculum package, we included project and tutorial rubrics to outline core competencies of the CTSA, and provide resources for peer and instructor critiques.
