The internet is awash with resources to help children learn to code...

Here are three of our favourites...go ahead check them out.

...did you notice what they all have in common?

Grids! They all require you to navigate a character through a grid.

The computer has transformed the way we learn, but sometimes using tangible objects just makes it easier to understand complex subjects.

So imagine the best of both learning worlds - where digital meets physical...

...bringing code to life!

Introducing Griditch

The new national computing curriculum introduced in September 2014 requires all primary aged children to understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science.

My aim was to create a simple and intuitive learning aid to help children understand the fundamentals of computing.

I achieved this aim through the creation of Griditch - a simple and intuitive tangible programming language that encourages children to think computationally, helping them understand the fundamentals of computer science.

I now wish to share the ingenious of Griditch with everyone.

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What is Griditch?

Griditch is a tangible programming language combining the best of the digital and physical worlds. The product consists of boards, programmable tags and a scanner which enables you to send images and sound to a device running the free Griditch app.

The Individual components

The system consists of programmable tags, boards, scanner and app.

Grits - Click image to learn more

Tags
There are 9 tags to choose from. They each come pre-programmed with a stock image + sound that can interact with other tags (e.g. lock interacts with key). 

These tags make up a simple and intuitive programming language and share much in common with the sprites used in a visual programming language like Scratch.

Boards

Boards
Tags are placed onto boards to create challenges for opponents solve. Boards can be connected together to create more complex challenges.

Scanner

Scanner
This is used to scan tags. Information is sent wirelessly to any connected device running the Griditch app.

App

App
The scanner connects via bluetooth to the app and enables information stored in tags to be displayed on a device. User generated images and audio can can also be written to tags.

Hour of Code - physical vs digital - click for an example

Code.org
The Hour of Code is a great free resource and was the inspiration behind Griditch. Essentially we took this concept and gave it a physical makeover! Because of this synergy we would highly recommend using code.org to help generate ideas for playing Griditch.

We also love block-based languages like Scratch and Blockly, but children who have yet to grasp the fundamentals of computing can quickly become overwhelmed by the abundance of information. 

​By making code physical, children intuitively understand the function of each grit and how they interact with each other. That's just one of the benefits of tangible programming.

Why we created Griditch

Children have always learnt the fundamentals of new subjects through play and by using their hands - think of an abacus - why should computing be any different?

Griditch has evolved over the years with input from specialists within the field, teachers and students. During the research and development phase we worked with primary schools and tested Griditch with hundreds of Key stage 1 & 2 students.

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Courtesy of St Thomas Becket

Feedback from teachers and pupils was extremely positive and perhaps more importantly, post evaluation results consistently demonstrated a marked improvement in the students understanding of computing fundamentals.  


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Ultimately our goal is for every child to have the opportunity to understand the fundamental principles of computer science through experiences that are collaborative, creative and concrete.

How Griditch helps you to think...

Click a board to learn more.

Computationally

Collaboratively

Concretely

Creatively