Blackbird Code is one of my favorite new educational technology resources launched in 2021. For Computer Science Education Week they’ve released two new self-paced, self-directed lessons through which students can learn a bit about JavaScript. 

The new Blackbird Code lessons are Tether Game and Screen Saver. The two lessons teach students how to create a simple game and a simple screen saver through the use of JavaScript. 

The best thing about Blackbird Code lessons, including these two new lessons, is that students choose how much guidance and direction they need. Blackbird Code provides students with a series of steps to complete by writing the JavaScript to create each part of either the Tether Game or the Screen Saver. Students can use just the basic instructions for each lesson or click on the definitions and “deep dives” embedded within the instructions. Those definitions and deep dives give students an explanation of what they’re writing and puts the explanation into an applicable context. After each step of the lesson students can see their code run and debug as needed with guidance from Blackbird Code.

Applications for Education


If you’re looking for some short, “Hour of Code” lessons to use with students in fifth through ninth grade, Blackbird Code’s new lessons are definitely worth giving a try. Your students won’t become master programmers in an hour, but they will learn more about how programs are written than if they just used a block editor.