C2LC Survey - Notes from the results
Total of 9 valid Responses out of 12
- 8 had experience teaching coding
- 7 had experience teaching coding to kids with special needs
Most used coding tools/environments:
- Code.org and Scratch (6 responses)
- Blockly, Dash, and Scratch Jr (5 responses)
- Micro:bit, Osmo, Swift Playground (4 responses)
Reasons for using the coding tools they have selected:
- Available resources, associated apps, curriculum ideas and activities
- Affordability
- Free or cheaper than other tools
- Free coding apps accompanying robots/circuit kits
- Ability to make adjustments to the robot based on curriculum goals
- “We felt the blockly coding language was user-friendly and we had success using it with younger children and children with cognitive disabilities.” , “Block format provides a visual of the logic”
- Two respondents were exploring switch scanning accessibility features in the iPad OS to program Dash with Blockly
- Less textual and language based and more interactive, tactile and pictorial, such as code-a-pillar
- Accessible for students with visual impairment (Code & Go Mouse, Code.org, and Swift which is built with voiceOver in mind)
Three Favorite Features:
- Reliable bluetooth connectivity
- Immediate feedback from building code to seeing real time results (e.g. robots moving)
- Blockly’s large and colorful icons, drag and dropping and snapping feature
- Ability to transfer knowledge from more basic coding tools to higher-level ones
- EV3 Comment block which allows students to explain at each step what their program is doing and troubleshoot
- Visual coding - Visuals have a code equivalent
- Dash has variety of options to choose from e.g. graphics, music, sound, puzzle
A feature they wish their coding tool had:
- “it is important to have the robots drive in “slow mode” so that students can see the steps in slow motion and have time to make changes on the fly”
- Ability to switch between multiple coding languages (C3, Java, Python, Processing) - “a node-based mode that looks similar to TouchDesigner, Unreal Blueprints, or Unity Shader Graphs, that converts to another coding language”
- Make chrome app and Chrome devices switch accessible (script, operations, and commands)
- Code blocks and instructions to be read with text to speech
- Code blocks provide auditory feedback when clicked
- Coding apps that can work with keyboard commands, so they can be used with USB switch interface
- No sign in process, which poses problems with younger kids
- Ability to adjust reading level of instruction of single program based on age and abilities
- Versatility based on age - easy to understand and work with for younger learners and ability to offer more challenging tasks for older kids
- A leveled approach more like a video game, motivating kids without a lot of direct instructions
Inability or difficulty using a coding tool with students with complex learning needs:
- “Blockly app does not allow access using row/column scanning to the secondary levels of the codes (options within Drive>Forward, backwards, etc). Point scan was very difficult to use in terms of vision and timing.”
- Blockly has no chrome app so headmouse, eye gaze, and alternative access were not supported
- Most online apps don’t support scanning (e.g. lightbot)
- Most apps are visual and text based and don’t provide audio feedback/response
- “In order for us to provide access to the EV3 for our math project, we needed an engineer to create a program that could be accessed by our headmouse using on a PC.”
- “Lego app was nice as you could create your own interface, but using the joystick required very advanced skills. The only other option is sliders which requires both motors (right and left wheels) to be joined.”
- Students with motor skills have a hard time pressing small buttons.
- Difficulty differentiating icons
- Difficulty with language either due to not knowing English or developmental delay
- Sphero is too complex
- Robots or kits with small parts can be challenging for some students
- Inability to provide students with sufficient time for processing
Adjustments/adaptations they have made:
- Connecting iPad to a larger screen
- Created color blocks in Scratch to help an individual with Dyslexia. This was more effective than typing code to avoid typing errors.
- Adding tactile markers on tangible items, such as robots and the environment for non-visual students
- Using the iPad’s accessible features to enable switch interface
- Made adjustments to iOS scanning options
Ways to learn and share:
- Word of mouth and professional development were rated highest for learning & sharing
- Blogs, Twitter and Board of Education were also indicated as second highest learning sources
- Twitter rated more than other methods for sharing
Other ways to learn and share about coding tools:
- Networking with AT specialists
- QIAT list serv (input into the ongoing process of identifying, disseminating, and implementing a set of widely-applicable Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services in school settings.)
- Learning from students
None of the participants indicated the platforms they are using
Other resources to help educators succeed
- Cheat sheets for students
- More workshops
- Teacher resources to support the integration into the classroom
- school push-in programs like those offered by Canada Learning Code