There is a growing movement to teach kids and young adults to code. The problem with this movement is that coding in itself is neither worthwhile nor interesting. Without a goal or a purpose that is intriguing to the student, the task is often abandoned without a feeling of completion. One company has found a way to combine the fun and magical worlds of Disney with software education to develop Disney Codeillusion.
For some, the excitement of knowing that you have forced a computer to do what you asked can be enough to drive the educational process. For others, applying that knowledge to building an app or a website can be satisfying. Using code skills to control a robot is a motivating factor for others. But, for some people, gaming is the best way to make the educational process stick, and that is exactly what Disney Codeillusion is all about.
This product uses Disney characters and worlds to create an interactive role playing game (RPG) in which the player is challenged with programming tasks to continue the gameplay. Because the courses are presented in the context of a game, it means that the learning process is completely paced by the student. Self-paced learning can help a lot of students to gain and retain information.
Another aspect of the game is that, when you're stuck, you have your in-game friends to help. Since your friends are all Disney characters, they tend to possess special powers. In this case, those powers can help you out of a sticky situation by leading you toward the answer (but not giving it to you).
The complete course comes with a storybook and the online learning platform and is available for purchase now. The retail price is $1,999 on the company's website.
Interview by Marlo Anderson of The Tech Ranch and Daniele Mendez of The New Product Launchpad.
Daniele is a student at Florida Polytechnic University who is studying Computer Science with a concentration in Cyber Security. In High School, she was introduced to the science and technology world through the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a robotics foundation where students of varying ages can compete through tasks that their robots perform. With help from mentors she met through FIRST, she became interested in programming and developing. Today, Daniele is a special events host for F5 Live: Refreshing Technology and PLuGHiTz Live Special Events and a co-host for both The New Product Launchpad and FIRST Looks.
Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.
