The Code Community: Montclair is for anyone ages 10 - 100, who wants to learn 21st century computing in a self-paced, team-based, face-to-face setting. Bring your project idea, or begin with one of ours. We have resources appropriate for individuals, pairs, and small groups.
With thirty years experience in computer science education, we provide resources beyond what you will get in introductory computer classes. If you are a complete novice, we can customized our startup materials to your interests and background. We don't leave you alone with a textbook. If you know a little and want to learn more, we have the expertise to help you reach higher. If you have expertise and want to learn something new, we can help you relate new information to what you already know.
Games and Interactive Storytelling in Scratch
Suggested for 4th- 8th graders, but anyone who is curious about a powerful way for beginners to be creative with code, is also welcome. Participants will individually, or in teams of 2 - 4, build a full Scratch program that uses all of the functionality of Scratch 2.0 including cloud variables, lists, cloning, and building your blocks.
Procedural Art via Java or Python
If you have intermediate or even advanced skills you will learn about web development through Processing/Processing.js, and build an interactive visualization that can be posted on our website or your own.
Control Your Computer
Are you frustrated by having your son-in-law, daughter, nephew, or perhaps the kid next store help you do simple tasks like email, word processing, or edit pictures? Maybe you have a website that you would really like to edit yourself. Using Google Drive as a free platform, this program gently guides you through the principles of programming using word processing, spreadsheets, slide production tools (like Powerpoint). Didn't know you could code these programs? Well you'll learn, using little snippets of code called Macros. Does this sound intimidating? Don't let it. We show you the basics in the context of what you want to do. Recommended for the more mature. Processing is a programming environment for artists and scientists that supports Java, Javascript, and Python. It's a great place to start to learn serious programming languages.
Mobile Development Start With App Inventor
Suggested for 9th graders to adults, including college students, and technology professionals. If you are a novice coder this is an opportunity to learn how a mobile app is constructed using App Inventor, an easy entry coding environment developed at MIT.
Teacher Curriculum Support
Your principal just informed you that you are teaching Lego Mindstorms next semester. We have 30 years in the field building age-appropriate computing experience, including a recent contract with the IEEE (Google them!). We can help on an individual, paired, or small group basis. Talk to us about doing in-service.
Design Your Own
Is there something you always wanted to learn about coding? Can't crack the esoteric complexity of Android Java, want a partner to learn Apple's new language Swift? Heard about "GP"? (Don't even try Googling it -- its in pre-Alpha testing and we are testers!) Really curious about assembly language programming, and curious about what Pascal was? Need a tutorial on C pointers, or some help with CS AP prep? We can do that too, either at regularly scheduled Thursday sessions, or at your professional site.
Check out our pricing for Thursday sessions, or arrange off-site sessions for your institution or group.