Learning resources

24 August 2022 · by CoderDojo

It’s that time of year again when many Dojos return from break. It can be a busy month for a lot of people, so we have a special comprehensive guide to help you restart your Dojo!  For the next four weeks, our Back to Dojo series will highlight helpful resources that you may need for your Dojo, from planning your first session to promoting inclusivity in your club.  Check below for our schedule for the next month, including all of the links to our resources.   Week 1: Planning and promoting Get… Read More

24 August 2022 · by Nuala McHale

Icebreaker activities are designed to welcome and encourage interaction among Ninjas at the start of a session. These short games are fantastic ways to help new Ninjas feel relaxed.  The benefits of starting a Dojo session with icebreakers include: Helping a new group get to know one another Helping new members to integrate into a group Encouraging cooperation Creating a good atmosphere for learning and participation Re-energising young people, particularly if the Dojo runs in the evening after school… Read More

30 June 2022 · by Nuala McHale

Last year, Raspberry Pi launched the Raspberry Pi Pico, a physical computing device that is low-cost and easy to use. It’s much smaller than any Raspberry Pi computer, and it needs much less power. That’s because it’s not a full computer but instead a microcontroller. That means it is a device that you program by writing code on any computer. Then you send that code to Pico via a USB cable. Affordable physical computing This microcontroller is an affordable way to introduce physical computing to young people, without requiring many of the bulky peripherals required by many other physical computing options. Read More

23 June 2022 · by Nuala McHale

Today we’re excited to share the beta version of the new CoderDojo website. We heard your feedback. It’s important to you that resources are easy to find, relevant and communicated in your language. Our new beta site aims to do just that. See the beta site What’s new? We have lots of great resources on the website for champions, mentors, and young people. However, the community regularly told us it was difficult to find them. Our… Read More

14 June 2022 · by Nuala McHale

As you may know, you can run online sessions using videoconferencing or livestreaming tools. In online sessions, young people can work on a project together or they can work independently on different activities. Volunteers should support young people to write and debug their code during the session. In this blog post, we will share our guidance for children’s safety when running online sessions. We’ll also tell you about the tools you can use, including an updated comparative guide and our special free tool that is available to all Dojos! Children’s safety online… Read More

11 April 2022 · by Nuala McHale

Our latest resource round-up has something for everyone — from young coders just starting out on their learning journeys, to more experienced coders, to Dojo volunteers. Beginner’s luck  For younger coders attending a Dojo for the first time, our platform Code Club World is a great place to start learning to create with code. It has concise written instructions, and its mobile-friendly nature means it’s a fantastic choice for the beginners in your Dojo. One champion in the United States described it as “an amazing resource for starting kids”. Read More