"If all difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey, most of us would never start out at all" - Dan Rather
It's amazing to think that 10 weeks have passed since our students started this long journey to hopefully nab themselves a cool new "Travis" Parrot Drone.
Granted, it was not an easy journey as all of our students would agree. Making time to go for the 1 and a half hour lessons 2 times a week right after UPSR or being forced to learn and master some form of coding in so little time is a lot to take in. Not to mention that they all had to complete a Mini Project halfway through the competition too. Nevertheless, they managed to pull through it all and came out victorious.
What did the contestants learn from the experience?
Thinking back, quite a few of the students said that they learned a lot of English from the experience. Some said they learned how to create games and develop a stronger interest within themselves. While others agreed that they walked away learning new codes they were never previously introduced to.
Our personal observations? To be honest, we learned a lot teaching them, especially the the level of creativity and ingenuity they would use along the way to get there.
Many of times I found myself gobsmacked by how ingenious and simple their new solutions were to the ones we would traditionally see our other students use. I have even incorporated some of their codes in my own projects which proves that we can also learn from the students.
Even their Final Projects surprised me, especially the one similar to a music video. I personally expected each students to make some sort of game with the list of criteria we handed them on week 1. I never would have imagined seeing one of the student submitted a non-game like Final Project at the end of it all, let alone saw it met all our required criteria and be so wonderfully choreographed to their choice of music.
On the other hand, some students made me wrack my brain for weeks in order to help them find a solution to a problem they had with their Final Projects. I had to go through most of my knowledge and understanding of Coding to come up with some form of a solution. But even then, we had to modify it, troubleshoot and make multiple programs to test it out or work properly. At least at the end of it all, it was well worth it to see it solved and completed.
In conclusion, I am glad that I was a part of their long and tedious journey through this amazing 10-week challenge. I believe that not only have the students came out richer at the end of the entire experience, so have I. I am excited to see how far they can nurture and grow their wealth in coding to help make a brighter future for us all. Let's all be future ready.
Feel free to try out all the Final Projects down below!
If you would like to see all the Mini Projects for the 10-Week-Challenge, feel free to click here.
Not having enough fun? Check out our other student projects here.
.:: 1st Place Winner ::. .:: Race Car Game ::.
Music : Disfigure - Blank [NCS Release]
Some questions asked during the interview: What inspired you to make this project?
>> "I was inspired by many other racing games! The reason why I chose cars was because I have more ideas about it."
What did you learn from the experience? >> "I learnt many new codes"
.:: "Faded" Side Scroller Music Video ::.
Music :"Faded" by Alan Walker
Some questions asked during the interview: What inspired you to make this project?
>> "Instead of just playing a game or watching an animation, I can make my own. I like this song and I could easily imagine it when listening to it"
What did you learn from the experience? >> "I found it was interesting and would like to share it with my friends!"
.:: TRAINS - A Top-Down Train Track Game ::.
Music : Friendly Partnership Music
Some questions asked during the interview: What inspired you to make this project?
>> "I have a big interest in trains."
How long did it take you to make it? >> "A few weeks to make it."
.:: Multiplayer Shooter Game ::.
Music :"HandClap" by Fitz and the Tantrums
Some questions asked during the interview: What inspired you to make this project?
>> "The idea came to me on one of our lessons."
What did you learn from the experience? >> "How to create games and develop more interest in programming"
.:: Catch the Ghost Game ::.
Music : Fearful Walk
Some questions asked during the interview: What inspired you to make this project?
>> "The idea came to me on one of the lessons during the holiday program."
What did you learn from the experience? >> "Learn more things in this program is English!"