Tech Tools for Interactive Remote Teaching Webinar
Pencil Code is a programming site for drawing art, playing music, and making games. It is also a venue for experimenting with mathematical functions, geometry, graphics, web sites, simulations and algorithms. Programs are available for seeing and copying by anyone. You should consider this method if you are trying to teach your students how to code in an innovative, engaging way.
Get some ideas for art, music, or games. Or to code anything, start on a blank page.
Learn professional programming languages using an editor that lets you work in either blocks or text. Create art, music, games, and stories. Or invent a program that will change the world.
Math: Students can learn about mathematical concepts such as angles and degrees using Pencil Code. In order to move around the plane, students must know about the unit circle.
Music: Students can create their own music by writing code, they could choose individual instruments such as piano, or create their own by changing the pitch and frequency of provided sound effects.
English/Language Arts: Students can create interactive adventures using code. Using Pencil Code, students can create interactive stories in which they can receive input from users and perform different actions based on the inputs.
Creative Arts: Students can draw simple and complex objects using code. Ranging from a simple house using 8 lines of code, to an elaborate tree structure using 25 lines of code.
Other: Students are able to combine any and all of the resources previously mentioned to create their own projects, such as creating an interactive story that has a custom background noise depending on the what is currently happening in the story.
If you’ve ever used Scratch, pencil code will be very straight forward. If you’ve never used scratch or any drag and drop coding tool, a highly recommend you read the get started guide.
In order to get started follow these steps:
Go to Pencil Code website: https://pencilcode.net/
If you want to get started quickly:
Click the “Let’s Play Button”
Once in the code editor, drag and drop blocks to code!
If you want to simply create a new empty pencil code:
Look at the bottom right corner under the “Get Creative” section
Click “Start on a Blank Page”
Once in the code editor, drag and drop blocks to code!
If you want to create an account:
Click the “New Account” button on the top right
Input your username and passwords, keep in mind that no real names are allowed on Pencil Code per the privacy policy
Once you’re done with your Pencil Code project, click the save button on the top right to save it to your account
Or once you’re done with your Pencil Code project, share it with peers or instructors by clicking “Share” on the right corner.