Code Karts
© 2017 Edoki Academy
Looking for an effective very first coding experience? Here's a good app -- just keep in mind that the definition of "code" for this app means planning a route through a maze using top down direction commands. The goal of each challenge is simple: to get a car to the finish line of a maze-like road, by dragging and dropping direction blocks into the right order. This app gives a meaningful context to the coding-like task by providing a clear and meaningful challenge. We also liked the well-designed tutoring in the early level. But there are some weak points. You can't control the pace of the car, or stop the routine immediately in case you want to quickly edit. We also noticed this app takes top down point of view rather than a car point of view, eliminating the need to "decenter." This is different from the Logo approach where you take the view of the sprite (or turtle). The scaffolding (embedded help) is excellent and there's a competition mode where the goals is to be the first to reach the finish line before a computer controlled car. The more you play, the harder the challenges. Note that this is a free app with IAP. The free version includes 10 levels; the paid version gives you 70 tracks and 2 modes (solo or against the device).
Teaches: logic, directions, spatial relations, debugging, coding
CTR Rating: 86%