Day 1: Introduction to programming in NetsBlox

The curriculum does not assume any prior knowledge of computer programming. Therefore, the first day is dedicated to teaching basic programming concepts, such as control structures, variables, data types and functions.

 

  • Introduction and Pre-test    Slides | Video
  • Introduction to the NetsBlox environment 
    Pre-survey: https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/surveys/?s=D93LHLTE9P
    Slides | Video
  • Cat and mouse game. Mouse is “driven” by the user using the keyboard arrow keys, while the cat is following the mouse trying to catch it. Time-based scoring. Increasing difficulty level as time progresses. Introduces if-statements, loops, variables, events and concurrent scripts.     Video
  • Digital art. Polygon drawing custom block. Implement various ways of creating geometric art. Introduces custom blocks (functions).     Video
  • Interactive weather map. Create a fully interactive google map background with panning and zooming. Display current weather conditions wherever the user clicks. Introduces RPCs.
  • Shopping list app. Simple project to introduce lists.
  • Movie cast info. Using the MovieDB service, display photos of leading cast members of any movie based on its title. Stresses lists. (Time permitting)