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Meet our newest Featured Maker and Coding Cup winner, 10-year-old Ethan from Western Australia! Ethan likes to play piano and code. Super! Ethan Recently spoke with us about his experience coding with Tynker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you have an idea of what you want to be when you grow up?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to be a remote designer and coder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What’s your favorite subject in school and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Science because I like atoms and molecules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So did you like Coding Cup?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What was your favorite thing about Coding Cup?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Every time, basically, the other player’s code increases in difficulty, and then you have to edit your code against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What did your team look like?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, my three team members, they mostly looked the same except for a change in skin color. Then my shirt, it has a little blue ball and a face on each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you learn how to use Tynker when you were first starting out? What are your favorite Tynker courses or tutorials? Have you been able to do any?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I’ve been doing a physics course that teaches you about the gravity and applying forces and other stuff. How I learned how to use Tynker in the first place, it’s because I’ve actually been using another coding website called Scratch. From when I joined Tynker, I think I’ve been using Scratch for three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you feel when you found out you’re a featured maker for Coding<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cup?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I was super happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you made a project yet? If so, which one is your favorite?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, my best project so far was the one for the 2022 Winter Code Jam. It finished third, and it got about 400 likes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So tell me about the Code Jam. So how do you get inspiration for your projects?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I did this theme of projects called Planet Balls. I’ve done it from about June last year on Scratch. And then for the Tynker Winter Code Jam, I decided to do it in here. It’s probably my best animation so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why do you like to code?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, you’re trying to express your creativity and make your own projects and programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is your favorite way to use code? Do you have a favorite code block?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, there is a lot of animation code blocks in Tynker, and they’re quite useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are you planning to make next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I’m working on a program. It’s a game called Circle of Madness. When you’re a blue circle, you have to avoid the red circles and catch the green circles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what’s the best thing about Tynker?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, the best thing about Tynker, it has a lot of courses and a lot of coding multiplayer games in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How do you think learning to code has prepared you for the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, I think it will prepare me for the future, and\u00ad\u00ad helps you think logically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you think that other kids should try coding? Why is that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. Because coding is a fun way to introduce kids to computer science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What advice would you give to kids starting out with Tynker?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I’d say try the Coding Cup. It lets them get started with coding in a fun competitive way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So how do you feel about Ethan learning to code? How does it feel to see the<\/strong> coding projects and the competitions that he’s in and the stuff he’s making?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n God, I think it’s great. It was very competitive. He wants to win. And it really helps him think logically, problem solve. I guess he gets frustrated sometimes, but it’s good for his development. But I think it’s very positive. It’s very different to when I was a young child. Things like this that doesn’t exist, and coding is a lot more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tynker is very child friendly. And the great thing about Tynker is because it’s\u00ad\u00ad I think a lot of the things is when you publish it is moderated and it’s not\u00ad\u00ad some other platforms you get a lot of other different people or non\u00adchildren or people participating in discussions. Tynker is a lot more sort of protected, if you will.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe spoke with Ethan\u2019s dad about Ethan learning to code. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n