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Middle school students to show off coding skills at RDC

Apr 24, 2018 | 2:15 PM

Students from schools in Chinook’s Edge School Division and Red Deer Public Schools are gathering at Red Deer College this Friday, to showcase the video games they have created through a unique program called Coding Quest.

The students, who are in Grades 4-8, have been working on their projects since last fall. They have combined cross-curricular research to create their game’s story with inquiry-based technical learning to actually code the video game. Their video game creations, along with background documentation they have researched, will all be part of the unique ‘arcade’ at RDC.

As is the focus of Coding Quest, the learning incorporates science and technology, mathematics, language arts, visual arts and social studies. Students learn fundamental coding skills through the involvement of The Learning Partnership, a national charity dedicated to enhancing publicly funded education to prepare students in Canada for a globally connected world. The result is 500 students ignited by learning – 125 from Chinook’s Edge and 375 from Red Deer Public.

“This is such an innovative project and we’re thrilled our students had the opportunity to be involved,” said Jody Dennis, Principal of Poplar Ridge School in Chinook’s Edge. “They’ve worked really hard, but it’s been exciting for them all along and it’s built such confidence. What makes this whole thing so special is that The Learning Partnership provided the materials and the entire opportunity at no cost.”

While at RDC’s main campus the students will also experience using some of the College’s educational technology, including green screens and virtual welding, becoming more familiar with how skills they develop using these technologies might expand into post-secondary learning and a future career.

Thirty Red Deer College student volunteers from the Bachelor of Education program will help host the students and provide a tour of RDC.

The Arcade event takes place at Red Deer College from 10 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. on Friday, April 27.

Schools participating in Coding Quest include Poplar Ridge School River Valley School, Sundre Penhold Crossing Secondary School École Innisfail Middle School, École Barrie Wilson Elementary School École Mountview School Annie L. Gaetz Elementary School Don Campbell Elementary School Glendale Sciences and Technology G.W. Smith Elementary School.