Codecademy

Freemium!

Codecademy provides users with tutorials that are grouped together as web developer skills, language skills, and goals. Each group of tutorials can be accessed on the website’s home screen, and users will need to register with the website before accessing them. After registering, users can begin accessing the tutorials by clicking the “Catalog” button on the top right of the screen. Though it is suggested that novice users begin with the “Make a Website” tutorial or a “Goals” tutorial, they are free to explore and choose any tutorial they wish. Once they selected a tutorial by clicking on it, Codecademy shows them stats about the course, which includes the number of students enrolled, estimated time to complete the course, and the technical level required to complete the course. To begin the course, users must then click the “Start” button, and they will then be presented with a guided learning experience that explains each segment of the tutorial and includes different activities and quizzes along the way. As they work through the tutorial, users can view their progress both at the bottom of the screen and by clicking the “Lined” button on the bottom left of the screen. In addition, if users exit the tutorial, they can also see their progress and the amount of skills they completed. Lastly, if users leave a tutorial before completing it, they can return to the place where they left off by clicking the tutorial from the Catalog menu and choosing the “Continue” option.

Please Note: To gain full access to all the content on this website, users will have to purchase a subscription to Codecademy.

Instructional Ideas

1. At the beginning of the year, teachers can have students complete the “Make a Website” and the “Make an Interactive Website” tutorials to create a website that they can use for the remainder of the year. As an extension activity, teachers can have students view different websites, both of quality and weak design, and discuss them. Teachers can ask students what they liked about the different websites and how they can be improved. That way, as students create their own websites, they will have some ideas they can use.
2. As a homework assignment or small in-class assignment, students can complete the different “Goals” tutorials. Then, when complete, students can share the products they created in small groups.
3. For advanced students, teachers can require them to complete the different tutorials, either independently or with a partner. Before assigning them a tutorial to complete, teachers can model the product that students will create by completing the tutorial, explain the process they used to create it, and discuss when this product would be useful in an out-of-school setting. Next, teachers can assign students the tutorial to complete. As students work, teachers can make sweeps of the room to provide them with assistance.

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