{"id":17836,"date":"2019-06-24T08:10:07","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T15:10:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tynker.com\/blog\/?p=17836"},"modified":"2023-10-26T23:36:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-27T06:36:00","slug":"anna-blake-makes-coding-accessible-to-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tynker.com\/blog\/anna-blake-makes-coding-accessible-to-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Anna Blake Makes Coding Accessible to Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Anna Blake Makes Coding Accessible to Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cTynker gives you the ability to differentiate for each kid\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<hr>\n<table style=\"height: 215px; border: 1px solid black; margin-left: 10px;\" width=\"300\" align=\"right\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>Connect<\/strong><\/em><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding-left: 15px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/annavblake\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15620\" src=\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190208140028\/Twitter_Logo_Blue.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"27\" height=\"27\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190208140028\/Twitter_Logo_Blue.png 400w, https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190208140028\/Twitter_Logo_Blue-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190208140028\/Twitter_Logo_Blue-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190208140028\/Twitter_Logo_Blue-250x250.png 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 27px) 100vw, 27px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/annavblake\">@AnnaVBlake<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding-left: 15px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.annavblake.com\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-16894\" src=\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190419140217\/web.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190419140217\/web.png 200w, https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190419140217\/web-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 20px) 100vw, 20px\" \/>&nbsp; Anna V. Blake Website<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding-left: 15px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-16898\" src=\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190419142447\/school.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190419142447\/school.png 240w, https:\/\/images.tynker.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20190419142447\/school-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 20px) 100vw, 20px\" \/>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.efsd.net\"><strong>Elizabeth Forward School District<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding-left: 15px;\"><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/freeiconshop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/edd\/globe-outline-filled.png\" alt=\"Free globe outline filled icon &amp; Download free icons for commercial use\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\">&nbsp; Elizabeth, PA <\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n<p>This week, we\u2019re excited to feature Anna Blake, a Tynker Blue Ribbon Educator who is also presenting with Tynker at ISTE 2019.&nbsp; Anna is an Instructional Technology Specialist who teaches elementary students in the Elizabeth Forward School District in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. Using tools like Tynker, Anna\u2019s on a mission to make coding accessible to all students, including those with special needs. Read on to learn more about Anna!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tynker stars!! Fourth grade is rocking Tynker coding from writing 100 lines of code to completing Math concepts during personalized learning time, these kiddos are incredible! Thanks <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gotynker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gotynker<\/a> for the certificates! @mrs_skrabec <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/EFignite?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#EFignite<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/EFproud?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#EFproud<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gotynker?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@gotynker<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TynkerSupport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TynkerSupport<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/drezac?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@drezac<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dZ5u8ENrgr\">pic.twitter.com\/dZ5u8ENrgr<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Anna V. Blake (@annavblake) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/annavblake\/status\/1086005165335941120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 17, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/annavblake\/status\/1086005165335941120\">Via Twitter @AnnaVBlake<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>  Growing up, Anna faced academic struggles which now help to fuel her desire to truly empower students: \u201cI always think of being that teacher that helps students find something that they\u2019re good at.\u201d She\u2019s able to relate to students who have their own struggles with school, and she draws on a variety of tools to help them achieve their goals. When she joined the team at Elizabeth Forward, Anna and her colleagues discussed how they could make coding accessible to every child: \u201cOur whole idea was, \u2018How do we include students with autism? How do we include students with special needs?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s where Tynker comes in. Anna feels that Tynker is a great fit for students: \u201cTynker enables all kids to feel successful through the guided tutorials.\u201d Details like visual appeal and structural support are vital when it comes to choosing a coding platform for students across a spectrum of abilities, as Anna explains: \u201cTynker is able to really help the teacher in breaking down those steps for children with special needs. With the Tynker curriculum, each child feels secure. They feel that they have enough support to get themselves through programming&#8230;The blocks are really easy and colored nicely so that kids understand each level or lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Differentiation\u2019 is a key concept in teaching students in any subject. Tynker offers opportunities for students to learn subjects in a variety of modalities, as Anna explains: \u201cWe did a project in Sphero with Tynker using geometry. They were learning about geometry in their own classroom. It\u2019s for those kids who maybe didn\u2019t do so well in geometry, but they\u2019re really good in computational thinking.\u201d Coding is a great tool to help students understand traditional subjects, but Anna knows that computer science itself also requires differentiation: \u201cThat\u2019s the reality, that we\u2019re not just going to differentiate reading class. We\u2019re going to differentiate computer science class as well. Tynker gives that ability.\u201d&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float:right; margin-left: 20px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ze8XP-CLjyk\" width=\"374\" height=\"210\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><!--\/wp:html--><\/p>\n\n\n<p>Anna uses Tynker\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tynker.com\/school\/coding-curriculum\/show?id=1-programming-101\">Programming 101<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tynker.com\/school\/coding-curriculum\/show?id=2-programming-102\">102<\/a> with her students, coding courses that foster skills like communication and collaboration. She describes what happened when students worked on a difficult puzzle in Programming 101: \u201cThere\u2019s one kid who\u2019s got it. Instead of going on to programming 102, he goes around and helps each and every child get through that puzzle. And it\u2019s just this confidence that that child feels, and it\u2019s just such a wonderful moment to see. To see how happy that kid is, and how much he wants to share that joy with others.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">We\u2019re excited to have Anna Blake as part of our community of educators! Her understanding of how to make coding accessible to students will benefit students for years to come.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">&nbsp;Say hello to Anna&nbsp; at ISTE 2019, Booth #516, on June 25th at 1:30 pm. She\u2019ll share more about physical computing in the classroom as she presents&nbsp; \u2018Drones, Spheros, and Block-Based Fun with Tynker\u2019!&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><em>Read our previous post about <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tynker.com\/blog\/paige-besthoff-the-how-of-teaching-coding-early\/\"><em>Tynker Blue Ribbon Educator Paige Besthoff<\/em><\/a><em>, who shares the \u2018how\u2019 of teaching students to code early!&nbsp;<\/em><br><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anna Blake Makes Coding Accessible to Students &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;\u201cTynker gives you the ability to differentiate for each kid\u2019s needs.\u201d Connect @AnnaVBlake &nbsp; Anna V. Blake Website &nbsp;&nbsp;Elizabeth Forward School District &nbsp; Elizabeth, PA This week, we\u2019re excited to feature Anna Blake, a Tynker Blue Ribbon Educator who is also presenting with Tynker at ISTE 2019.&nbsp; Anna is an Instructional Technology Specialist [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17843,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,52,108,12,513,58],"tags":[498],"class_list":["post-17836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blue-ribbon","category-coding-at-school","category-college-and-career-readiness","category-ideas-and-tips","category-school","category-teacher-feature","tag-featured-educator"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Anna Blake Makes Coding Accessible to Students - Tynker Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how Anna Blake makes coding accessible and fun for students, inspiring them to become future innovators.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tynker.com\/blog\/anna-blake-makes-coding-accessible-to-students\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Anna Blake Makes Coding Accessible to Students - 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