Introduction to Coding

We are an organisation that supports people with ASD through Social Interaction Clubs and activities. We have participants from the ages of 4 up to 30+ years of age. We are a charity and have to fundraise or gain grant support for the development and continuation of activities. There is a huge interest in coding from the teenagers and adult groups. The goal for us as an organisation is that the participants with ASD will develop in the following areas as part of the project: 1. Basic problem-solving 2. Logical thinking skills 3. Profound creativity 4. Persistence and resilience 5. Big boost in confidence On the day of the event, we want a no pressure situation, just that the participants develop a love for the activity of coding and participate at their own pace. The people with whom we will be working will be on different levels on the spectrum so it is more about fun, exploring and social interaction.

The workshops we plan to do will give students of the age group 10-13 years a basic overview of coding. This will allow teachers/students the opportunity to learn from the facilitator the basics about coding so that they can facilitate future workshops. The event will use Scratch allowing students to create digital stories, games and animations. Scratch encourages critical thinking, problem solving, communication and digital literacy.

Lego offers a versatile play experience that inspires children to unleash their imagination and creativity. By constructing various structures, vehicles, and scenes, they can explore their ideas and create unique stories. This environment is perfect for introducing concepts of coding and robotics. Once participants learn the basics of assembling the robot, they will be encouraged to innovate and redesign it according to their own vision. The workshop will utilise Lego Spike education kits, which are currently not available in Ballybane Library, and only a few schools have access to them. (the local school is categorised as Deis). Therefore, many young participants may not have experienced this type of workshop before. After the workshop, participants will be able to apply their new coding skills in widely accessible programs like Scratch or Microbits. Given the outreach efforts of the library and Foróige to local schools, we anticipate that demand for this workshop will exceed capacity. Lego offers a versatile play experience that inspires children to unleash their imagination and creativity. By constructing various structures, vehicles, and scenes, they can explore their ideas and create unique stories. This environment is perfect for introducing concepts of coding and robotics. Once participants learn the basics of assembling the robot, they will be encouraged to innovate and redesign it according to their own vision.