Using videos games to teach programming
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CultureFilm & AnimationTechnology
Using videos games to teach programming
Computer scientists at UCSD have developed a video game designed to teach elementary school students how to program in Java. In CodeSpells, you are a wizard and your task is to learn how to read, write and cast spells (aka Java programs) in an interactive and fun way.
CodeSpells was influenced by research conducted on how successful programmers learn their trade. They surveyed 30 computer scientists and identified five characteristics that are key to learn programming outside a classroom setting: activities must be structured by the person who is trying to learn; learning must be creative and exploratory; programming is empowering; learners have difficulty stopping once they start; and learners spend countless hours on the activity.