SierraNevada Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Has anyone done the Minecraft Mod Design class that is being offered though the Homeschooler Buyer's Co-op? I know it says grades three through eight, but wondering if anyone has done it with younger advanced kids? How was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mliss Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 My DS in older than yours (mine is 9 1/2) and he thinks Minecraft Mod Design is a little advanced. DS recommends Khan Academy's Introduction to JavaScript before starting Minecraft Mod Design. He tells me that if your son completed, or mostly completed, Khan Academy's tutorial he would be fine with Youth Digital. My impression of Khan Academy's JavaScript is that it is slower paced, more step by step and quieter. I find the YouthDigital tutor's overdramatic acting and loudness, interspaced with a regular tone of voice to be very fragmented to listen to. I don't watch what DS is doing but I hear it in the evening while I'm cooking dinner and I find it irritating - although DS is very conscientious about frequently adjusting the volume. However, at my house we are all non-TV watching quiet introverts, so an extrovert might find YouthDigital to be wonderful :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 My 9 & 10 yr olds did it completely independently. I think it was the perfect age for them. Neither one of them is really interested in programming though, I require they are working towards "programming literacy" for lack of a better term. So, when I find something that I think will make the pill a little less bitter I offer it to them :). They enjoyed the videos & finished the program. The littlest is now asking for the 3D printing one. The biggest is just glad to be done for a while :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SierraNevada Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 Thank you both. Okay, I think we will hold off until we have done the khan java. He is working on Scratch right now, but is so excited about making mods. Maybe that will encourage him to do khan academy. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 DS10 and DS13 both enrolled. DS13 blew through it-- he started out, "Do I have to??? I don't think I'm really into programming." He finished with, "When do they release the next course??????" He loved it. I loved it. The instructors got back to him quickly when he submitted something or asked a question, and the feedback on the final project was so detailed that I was really impressed. Where he was good (most of it, because they taught the course well) they let him know specifically why it was good. Where it could have been better, they pulled no punches, but did so in language that did not discourage him-- even though he had completed the course, he dove right back in to see if he could make those things better and follow their suggestions. In the end, he had created a really credibly good Minecraft mod! He also found that programming could be a very creative outlet, he learned how to really stick with debugging, and how to ask somebody other than Dad and I for help, or to be responsible for his own learning a bit more. DS10 is taking it a little slower (he has done Super Scratch Programming Adventure) but is also making really good progress. He will sit and work on it for hours when it occurs to him. Despite the price, I put no pressure on either of them to get it done; it is easily achievable within the year timeframe. I will have to go back and look at the Khan Academy stuff-- not sure if it still has value after the mod design class or not, but they both enjoy KA so maybe that will help some of the info they learned from Youth Digital stick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaConquest Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Sierra Nevada, please keep us posted on how your son progresses. My 5 year old is also chomping at the bit to take a Minecraft Mod class. All the ones locally have age minimums as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 My 12 yr old is taking it. He probably could have done it at about 9-10 yrs old. At 6, I would recommend Scratch first or maybe some of the other suggestions here. Depending on the student too, Alice might be an option but my ds, while initially quite interested at a young age, didn't take to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happycc Posted September 17, 2014 Share Posted September 17, 2014 What about Code Academy. My 12yrs old daughter has been eating it up. Ate up HTML/CC and PHP, Javascript and Python. THink she would be ready for this Minecraft Mod by Youth Digital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FergusonHomeschool Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 New to this board, hi. :) My son just completed Youth Digital Minecraft Mod Design and loved it. He started with a pretty solid knowledge of javascript (via Khan Academy) and some experience with python and logo. He did not seem to struggle with it and really enjoyed modding Minecraft. He is almost 9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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