Posted on Monday, April 23rd, 2018 by Will Hagle
Grasshopper
is a new coding educational product from Google.
There are many apps and websites that promise to teach people how to code, but few of them truly cater to beginners. Grasshopper, a new app created by Google’s experimental product workshop Area 120, was designed for that exact purpose. Of course, it’s hard for anyone who’s already a coding expert to figure out how to teach someone who has no experience whatsoever. But Grasshopper is fun and intuitive. The app teaches JavaScript through short games, designed to be completed in as little as 5 minutes. It’s a similar approach to Py, but with a focus on one language, an easier to understand curriculum for complete beginners, and a much better design.
Grasshopper’s app works similarly to Duolingo, showing coding problems and having users input solutions. There’s also a “day coding streak” and various achievements that are unlock-able, adding a gamified element that may help some learners. In addition to the questions, the app also offers a ton of useful information. Rather than beginning with difficult to grasp concepts like programming math equations, as some other coding sites do, Grasshopper attempts to go into real world problems that apply to users’ lives (even if it’s as simple as drawing shapes). For young people just learning how to code, or adults gearing up to take a bootcamp, start their own projects, or pursue a new career, Grasshopper is a great place to begin.
