Code for Teens REVIEW

Coding seems to be the thing to do these days.  They say if you have coding experience you will have a leg up in the computer programming field.  We were glad to say "Yes" to have a chance to review Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming (Volume1) from Code for Teens. What makes this book different than any other code book is that it is specifically written for your teens to complete on their own without any adult intervention.  It is written for grades 6 and up.

The author, Jeremy Moritz, wrote this after he had worked and practiced the lessons with his own kids.  He found a way to reach out to teens on their level with step by step instructions and a little humor along the way.  I received a physical copy of this book.  It is a very nice softcover book with heavy-duty glossy pages.  Included in its 219 pages are an intro, parent note, 10 chapters, answer key, and a fairly extensive glossary at the end.  You will need a computer or laptop to complete the lessons.  Tablets will not work for this.  You need to be able to download Google Chrome (free download) to complete the coding instructions.





I will preface the rest of this review with a note that this is NOT a book to teach you how to build a web page or app.  It is an introduction to JavaScript which is another computer language that is very important to have.  A huge percentage of coding these days is based on JavaScript.  To learn about HTML and CSS in order to produce web pages, apps, and other fun stuff you would need to watch for his next book, Volume 2, which will cover these. JavaScript is a little more complex than HTML or CSS, but having it as a foundation will go far in what you can do once you also master HTML and CSS.

Sample from the first lesson, just learning some syntax

Why then you say, would you want this book?  Because it really is written for your teen.  If for some reason you do get stumped there is a forum available where the author or someone from his team will be able to help you out.  The link to the forum is available on the Code for Teens website.  It's easy for our teens, especially our boys, to get distracted from the lessons at hand.  This book is written to keep them engaged and entertained while they learn at their own pace without stress of a strict timeline or deadlines.

Comments with sample error and correction

At the end of each chapter is a Quiz (remember there is an answer key in the back of the book), Key Concepts (quick chapter review), and Drills (more practice and includes a DIY section for even more practice).  Basically, there is review, review, and more review so your teen can get the concepts down and feel confident moving forward.  The concept of constant review follows throughout the entire book so they don't lose what they have previously learned.

You can proceed through the book at any pace you or your teen chooses.  Our goal is to complete a chapter per week if time allows in our schedule.  This seems to work to not get him too overwhelmed or feeling pressured, especially since it is still technically summer!  This book definitely seems to be more up my teen's alley in the sense that he can actually accomplish something and not feel as if he is failing.  If you have a teen that doesn't generally struggle through their lessons then they will probably be able to complete the book fairly quickly.  It is such a wonderful tool to teach them skills that they can use going forward. I think the one thing we would change that would make it easier to use is for it to be spiral bound so you can lay the pages flat as you are trying to type the code out.

If you are thinking about or interested in learning to code at all then we definitely recommend Code for Teens: The Awesome Beginner's Guide to Programming (Volume1).  You can also connect with Code for Teens on FACEBOOK.



If you still aren't quite sure then take a moment to go to the Code for Teens website and download the introduction and first chapter for FREE!

Also be sure to check out what the other reviewers have to say about this wonderful resource by clicking on the graphic below.

Digital Savvy REVIEW

I was so excited to have the chance to review Digital Savvy by CompuScholar, Inc. (previously known as Homeschool Programming).  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love computers and all things computer.  I really think that my 7th grader would love to learn some programming and this was the perfect chance to begin that process. Digital Savvy is recommended for grades 6-12.  Prerequisites to the program require minimal computer skills to include mouse, keyboard, and basic web browsing abilities.  It is available on Mac (OS version 10.7 or higher) or Windows (7, 8 or 10).



Digital Savvy is a general broad level course that introduces the student to the basics of the computer and some basic HTML programming and scratch. There area several options for this program.  There is a student led or teacher led option.  The student led option still comes with a parent account that includes lesson plans and answer keys. The teacher led option is completely hands off to you.  With the teacher led option, the company provides all monitoring of your student and grading. The program is available as a one-year or monthly subscription. There is a reduced price for additional students in the home.

There are 25 chapters that include a final project using the skills the student has learned. Topics include:

• Fundamentals of Computer Hardware and Software
• Operating Systems, Computer Files, Maintenance & Troubleshooting
• Networks, Search Engines, and Security
• Word Processing Programs
• Spread Sheet Programs
• Presentation Programs
• Database Technology
• Project Management and Teamwork
• Digital Images, Internet Communications, and Social Media
• Creating Web Pages, Web Page Design, Web Links, Images and Animation
• Programming Concepts and Digital Logic
• Careers and Professional Skills

Once your student logs in they will come to their homepage screen that has any and all of their purchased courses.  Once the course is selected they will see the listing of all their chapters (the course syllabus is in the first chapter).

Student Lesson Screen

Your student can easily review their grades as they progress.

The lessons consist of a short lesson video, lesson text that reinforces what was covered in the video, and a short lesson quiz.

There are also activities and chapter exams.  You can generally cover a chapter per week and the course is designed to be covered over one year (two semesters).  The final project at the end is designed to take approximately 2-3 weeks for the student(s) to complete.

The teacher account included with the student led option includes lesson plans and answer keys to the quizzes and tests.

Teacher Lesson Plans

The Teacher Menu on the teacher account has some extra options in the menu that include viewing the grade book, editing your profile, changing your password, reporting issues, getting help and managing logins.

My 7th grade son has been able to keep up with the pace of one chapter per week pretty well.  Chapters take 5 to 11 days to complete with most just being 5 days.  We just had a few sick days but he got right back on track and is enjoying the lessons.  They are short enough to keep his attention and I know that once he gets into the more in depth subjects that he is going to like it even more. I looked ahead and checked out the future lessons and they look to be pretty simple but do a good job of introducing the student to simple HTML programming and scratch.  The introduction to computer programs and social media is also nice.  He should have a good basis to build from once he completes the course.  It should set him up pretty good to be able to tackle the more in depth programming modules CompuScholar Inc. currently has to offer. What's even more exciting is that they have plans to continue to expand their course options.

We give Digital Savvy by CompuScholar Inc. two thumbs up!  The only thing to be aware of is that, just as the company states, if you have absolutely no computer knowledge and are generally afraid of computers this is not the place to start.  They do expect that you are familiar with a computer, keyboard, and mouse.  If you have just a few simple basic skills, you will find this program to be extremely helpful in furthering your computer skills and knowledge.  We will definitely be continuing on with this course to completion and look forward to choosing the next subject of theirs to work on, Be sure to check out the other reviews from the Homeschool Review Crew through the link below.  The two other programs reviewed were WEB DESIGN (grades 6-12) and JAVA PROGRAMMING (grades 9-12).
You can connect with CompuScholar, Inc. through the following media links:
Homeschool Programming: Facebook  or Twitter @hsprogramming
CompuScholar, Inc.: Facebook   or   Twitter   @compuscholar