Tynker Featured as Coding Solution for Grades K-5 in the Get Started with Code Teacher Guides on iBooks

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 1, 2017 — Tynker, the leader in creative computing that has introduced more than 50 million kids to computer programming through innovative game-like learning activities and courses, today announced two new courses—Space Cadet and Dragon Spells—to support the Everyone Can Code program from Apple. These free courses, available through the Tynker iPad app, allow students to solve coding puzzles and create do-it-yourself projects using Tynker’s visual code blocks and the Swift programming language.

Tynker’s Space Cadet and Dragon Spells courses are incorporated into the Get Started with Code 1 and Get Started with Code 2 teacher guides, available for free on iBooks. The new courses allow students to seamlessly transition to the Swift programming language within the Tynker app, enabling students to become familiar with Swift syntax early on. The guides are designed to help teachers effectively teach computer science in a way that combines offline “unplugged” activities with practical coding exercises. This solution is intended for kids in Grades K-5 before they transition to Swift Playgrounds in Grades 6+. Space Cadet and Dragon Spells are currently available in English for everyone to use in the Tynker App and will be localized to Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Latin American Spanish, French, and German by June.

“The Everyone Can Code program from Apple is designed to help anyone learn, write and teach code, and we are thrilled to help students on their journey from no coding experience to building apps,” said Krishna Vedati, co-founder and CEO of Tynker. “Space Cadet and Dragon Spells were purpose-built to enable kids unfamiliar with coding to learn using visual code blocks and then ‘toggle’ to the Swift programming language as they progress in their development. We hope these new courses inspire an even greater number of students and teachers to embrace coding as a way to enhance early learning and future careers.”

Space Cadet and Dragon Spells are introductory courses that teach programming fundamentals in a fun, engaging, and intuitive way, through 115 levels of coding puzzles and do-it-yourself projects. In Space Cadet, students in kindergarten through second grade solve puzzles and complete programming challenges set in space. In Dragon Spells, third through fifth grade students learn programming fundamentals as they train their dragon and collect treasures. In both courses, students learn through creative play as they solve puzzles, build projects, and animate characters.

“The Everyone Can Code program is exactly what we've been looking for in a cohesive coding curriculum,” says Jennie Magiera, Apple Distinguished Educator, Chief Innovation Officer at Des Plaines Public Schools in Chicago and author of Courageous Edventures. “The lessons are clear and easy to follow, even for teachers with no coding experience. Tynker’s coding activities and games are richly animated, visually engaging, and instructionally sound - introducing and reinforcing foundational coding concepts. The program scaffolds up through the grades and eventually transitions to Swift and Swift Playgrounds, making it a clear choice for K-8 vertical curriculum alignment.”

Students can share their work with others in Tynker Community and teachers can monitor individual student progress. The Tynker iPad app comes with Space Cadet and Dragon Spells, and educators can set up a Teacher account and accounts for their students at no additional cost.

About Tynker

Tynker’s award-winning creative computing platform helps children develop computational thinking and programming skills in a fun, intuitive, and imaginative way. The platform is used by more than 60,000 schools and 50 million students, spanning over 200 countries. Tynker was founded by a seasoned team of technology entrepreneurs who share a passion for giving children the critical life skills needed to become leaders in the technologies of tomorrow. Global partners include brands such as Apple, iDTech, Mattel, PBS, Sylvan Learning, and more.

For more information, please visit http://www.tynker.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @GoTynker. To learn more about Tynker’s new courses for the Everyone Can Code program, please visit https://www.tynker.com/everyone-can-code/.

For more information about the Everyone Can Code program, please visit https://www.apple.com/education/everyone-can-code/.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170501005345/en/

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