Programming Concepts

There are hundreds of computer programming languages out there and although they may look nothing alike to the human eye, at their core, they are all the same. There are fundamental concepts and ways to interact with a computer. We'll be using Scratch, Mozilla Thimble, and other tools to help us teach kids these concepts in a fun, relevant way.

Algorithm

A step-by-step set of operations to be performed to help solve a problem

Array

A special variable that can store more than one value at a time; items are ordered by a number so that we can access them later

Conditionals

Making decisions based on conditions (ie. if it is raining, then open your umbrella)

Debugging

Finding problems in code and solving them

Events

One thing causing another thing to happen (ie. ‘when green flag is clicked’ block in Scratch)

Function

A named section of a program that performs a specific task; there are often canned functions that exist already like the ‘If on edge, bounce’ block in Scratch; these are sets of instructions that can be used over again

Loops

Running the same sequence multiple times (ie. ‘repeat’ or ‘forever’ blocks in Scratch)

Modularizing

Exploring connections between the whole and the parts; breaking down a project into smaller chunks of code

Operators

Mathematical and logical expressions (ie. ‘X + X’ block in Scratch)

Parallelism

Making things happen at the same time

Remixing

Taking an existing project or idea and making it new by changing or adding to it

Sequence

Identifying a series of steps necessary to complete a task; computers read and perform commands in order from top to bottom