Computational Thinking with JavaScript 1: Draw & Animate

This is the first course in a sequence of four courses that develops essential 21st century computational thinking (CT) skills using the popular JavaScript language as a vehicle. At the end of this first course you will: know a framework for CT to help you learn about it and work with others; be developing your CT skills so that you can more easily work with digital technology of all kinds; be able to read and write programs in JavaScript that involve drawing and animation, using a specialised library; and post your creations on the web so that others can appreciate your skills. This course is suitable for: complete beginners; those who have taken an introductory course in any programming language and want to learn more deeply about the thinking and learning skills they are starting to develop; those who wish to learn Javascript in a supportive environment. The follow-on courses explore the manipulation and analysis of data, such an important aspect of our lives now, again in a highly supportive environment, and then we move the context to mainstream web--based platforms so that you can use these skills more widely

• Apply problem-solving frameworks using JavaScript and animations
• Understand core computational thinking concepts
• Write JavaScript programs involving drawing and animation
• Publish projects online to share with others

• No deep prior experience required but basic computer and internet skills are helpful
• Ability to read course instructions in English and complete short practice activities