Teaching young students computer science fundamentals through games

Overview

The Foos is a game for students above five years old to learn computer science concepts. The game interface does not include any words, so students from any country can play. As of February 2015, The Foos is free to download.

APPROACH

The Foos teaches computer science concepts such as functions and loops through giving commands to cute characters. The game consists of two different modes. The first is the level-by-level mode, where the student is given a structured challenge with a specific goal (e.g. reaching a star). The second is a free play mode where students can use and command any character they want. There is no specific goal in this mode, thus players are encouraged to use their imagination when playing.

IMPLEMENTATION

The Foos is available as a native app on Mac, iOS, Android, and Kindle Fire, as well as on any modern browser.

PRICING

As of February 2015, The Foos is free to download. A freemium and more complete version of the product will be released in the future.

WHO IS USING IT

As of February 2015, over 60,000 students and teachers in over 500 schools use The Foos.

EDUCATOR REVIEWS

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