This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Youth Digital. Although I was compensated, it in no way swayed my personal opinions of this outstanding resource which I am sharing with you.
Kids learning about technology is an important skill in today’s world. Every job out there uses technology in one way or another and there are new advancements taking placing all the time making technology one of the most desirable and key job skills we can give our kids.
However not all of us parents and teachers are equipped to teach kids about the technology.
Youth Digital is the leading technology education organization for youth ages 8-14. They offer 10 fun, engaging, and educational courses including their newest course Server Design 1 that teaches kids how to program and customize their own Minecraft® server using Java.
Learn Java with Minecraft® for kids ages 8-14
Server Design 1 is the newest of 9 other online courses offered by Youth Digital. This course is geared at kids ages 8-14 who want to learn how to program their own Minecraft® server using Java.
There are 12 lessons to complete sequentially. In this course kids are given manageable chunks of information while at the same time engaging with its fun, easy-to-follow format. The instructor explains Java in clear language with actual examples for kids to easily understand. Kids will actually watch the instructor code. Throughout the lesson kids will be encouraged to pause the video and try out what they have just learned by practicing coding, breaking the code, and ultimately designing their own Minecraft® server using Java.
The lessons gives them valuable hands on practice with the information they just learned so it is fresh and easy to reinforce.
Following the lesson kids will complete a 5 minute quiz that will ensure their know the facts presented in that lesson. The course then goes further to ensure the student really understands the lesson by offering a troubleshooting segment where they will use what they just learned to fix code. reward points are earned to offer some additional incentives.
This 4 prong format of: see it, do it, review it, and fix someone else’s work reinforces the newly learned skill in a natural way that really makes the information stick.
So what did we think?
This program WAY exceeded out expectations! My 10 year old son is always asking when he can do the next lesson because it's fun. As a mom, I love that my son is learning an important skill while at the same time hearing him laughing during the kid friendly lessons. My husband who works in IT is super impressed at the depth of the class and way it is presented in manageable chunks of information with systematic practice and review built in.
Our 10 year old is not only programming in Java, but he is retaining what he has learned because of the teaching / review format.
It was a quality, professional course with an outstanding instructor that was easy to listen to and follow.
Plus it was fun, engaging, and very well adapted to kids in 3rd-7th grade.
We are eager to enroll in another course soon!
Highlights
- The course is fun, engaging, and effective. (Don't be surprised if you child is begging to do their next lesson; mine was!)
- This is an online course so your student will need access to not only a computer, but the internet. Parents will appreciate that the server your child is designing is completely safe and secure from those who are not authorized by you to enter your child’s Minecraft® game
- You will need to have purchased the Minecraft® game seperately to complete the course
- Student will learn to code in Java from scratch to make their server exactly the way they want it
- There are more than 30 hours of interactive lessons per course along with ongoing instructional support and technical support
- You can learn more in this customer testimonial video.
- Cost for the 12-month Server Design 1 subscription: $249
