Odysseyware Launches Computer Science Ed Course for K-12

Odysseyware, an online course provider for K-12 education, has added Principles of Coding to its customizable online curriculum. ‘Principles of Coding’ aims to introduce middle school children to the fundamentals of programming and spark their interest for further computer science education.

Through ‘Principles of Coding’, students will have the opportunity to learn and then implement coding principles and rules through the design and creation of simulated environments, mobile apps, and computer games. ‘Principles of Coding’ is the latest addition to the Odysseyware online curriculum for K-12. The curriculum features a wide array of activities and learning materials making it easy to integrate with all types of classrooms, including flipped, blended learning and traditional classroom structures.

As District Administration reports, the curriculum consists of interactive and engaging learning material, from project-based learning to modeling, which make it easy for students to connect the dots between programming principles and see how these affect society and are realized in everyday technology.

The course complies with Computer Science Teacher’s Association standards. Beth Te Grotenhuis, the president of Odysseyware, highlighted the significant of computer science in K-12 education:

“Computer literacy has become just as important as reading and math literacy in the 21st century. No matter what career students select, learning even the basics of coding and computers will benefit them.”

Te Grotenhuis added that through ‘Principles of Coding’ more students will become interested in pursuing a computer science career, especially given the high demand for such professionals in the US marketplace. She said:

“We are confident this course will open doors into a new realm of learning.”

As the company explained, ‘Principles of Coding’ has been designed so as to optimize engagement and learning outcomes for middle school students:

“Multimedia and interactive elements are built into every lesson to ensure a high-level of student engagement throughout,” the course description says.

The five-unit course consists of material on Computational Thinking, in which students will discover the fundamentals of the Engineering Design Process and the Creative Problem Solving Process.

The second unit, Computer Practice and Programming, lets students broaden their understanding of computing systems and build systems through Scratch, an MIT programming language.

The third course focuses on Data and Information and introduces students to modeling and simulation as a way of identifying and solving problems. Unit 4 connects the dots between Computer Science and Math, and in the last Unit students become acquainted with mobile technologies and receive an understanding of how these technologies transform education, the workplace and the society as a whole.

Odysseyware is an online course provider offering customizable curricula. Apart from the new programming curriculum, Odysseyware also provides online course material in Languages, Science, Math, History, and Geography.

The curriculum provider also offers courses on test prep, Advanced Placement, Career and Technical Education, Skills Diagnostics and more.  As the company says on its official website, its courses consist of interactive media and technologies so that they cater to all types of learning styles and are capable of nurturing interaction and learning. Rich multimedia, video tutorials, learning games, interactive activities enriched with animations and other visuals make learning more interesting for learners, Odeysseyware says.

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