CodeMonkey

Codemonkey is designed to meet children’s needs and make their learning exciting. The website is both user-friendly and intuitive, while the learning material is comprised of games and puzzles. Yet, it is still of high quality and lets young students progress in their comprehension of coding principles and practice. It is one of our recommended coding websites for kids.

There are custom plans for both teachers and parents and the platform has no in-app adverts. The application is rated for ages 5 to 14 and above and is ideal for teachers and parents who wish to teach their children to code. The application is available on a web-based platform with supporting courses, resources and classroom management. Code Monkey is also a recognised member of the Kid SAFE Seal Program. This means that the product below has been independently reviewed, certified, and/or listed by kidSAFE to meet certain standards of online safety and/or privacy, and is authorized to display the kidSAFE Seal.The learning in the app seems to be never ending. You are able to select certain learning elements such as mastering fricative consonants, public speaking or rhythm and intonation and there are even advanced skills to learn as you progress through the app, including things such as suprasegmental and advanced consonants.

The app is aimed at those advanced English language speakers who want to elevate their language abilities to become more confident and to learn the American accent in a professional, supported way whilst being guided by some of the best vocal coaches in the business.

Code Monkey provides an excellent website with supporting resources, pricing plans, user guidance and so much more. The users home dashboard is intuitive in its design and displays the following menus:

My classrooms – Created classrooms are displayed here including features to enable the user to create new classrooms, allocated seats, bulk student transfer, student search, export course and activity progress and much more. This feature also enables the user to limit student progress to a certain level and turn on Super Hints to help students on their coding journey. This section of the application also displays student lists, courses, quizzes, grade books, student proficiency and games created by students.

Courses – View and manage courses that are assigned to your classrooms. Courses can be assigned, unassigned and limited at the press of a button.

Teacher Resources – This section includes Teacher Course videos, webinars and Lesson Plans. Coding Concepts includes articles and documents relating to the coding courses along with coding video tutorials for each concept of coding. Mini Course Lessons provides an hour of code for all levels, simply download the course lesson plans and teachers' guides to get started. The Media and Graphics Section provides downloadable and printable student certificates along with display posters, news articles and colouring pages.

The Solutions feature displays the solutions to the coding puzzles in a video format.

My Creations – This section displays the games and challenges that have been created within the platform by the user. Simply click the ‘New’ button to create a new game or challenge using the templated interface.

Discover – Code Monkey creations have been shared by its vast community of users in this section. Access the most popular and most recent games and challenges created by its users.

For this review, we will playtest Block Coding, Text Coding, Python and a Stem unit of the Code Monkey courses.

Block Coding - Beginner – Sequencing and Simple Loops – Drag and drop the coding block and watch the beaver build his dam. A correct solution will move you onto the next level scored out of three stars. An incorrect solution provides the user with a hint to help them solve the puzzle. The user can choose to toggle between sounds and turbo mode where the coding solution is speeded up. Adding movement to the beaver increases the difficulty. Users can also use the map icon in the top right of the user screen to follow the learning journey. Further levels include movement left and right, multiple log drops, repeat loops, multiple loops and conditions.

The user can jump to any of the levels within the learning map to attempt harder levels first.

Text Coding – Beginner- Fundamentals – In the first instance play the tutorial video to help you. Use the Ruler icon to measure the steps to the banana. v Text can be added manually by using the keyboard or by using the text creation icons at the bottom of the screen.

Intermediate – Python – Python Fundamental Part 1 – In the first instance play the tutorial video to help you. Work your way through the initial easy levels using Python coding. A correct solution will score the assignment out of 3 stars and move you onto the next level. An incorrect answer will ask the user to try again. Use the icons to move the banana to the monkey, build bridges using the giraffe, navigate steps and much more.

Beginner – STEM – Distances - In the first instance play the tutorial video to help you. Use the ruler to measure the distance and enable the Dodo to pick up the eggs. A correct solution will score the assignment out of 3 stars and move you onto the next level. An incorrect answer will ask the user to try again. Further levels increase with difficulty including avoiding crocodiles, negative numbers and much more.

All courses and levels are extremely well laid out and easy to navigate. We did find that many of the levels were extremely challenging and at times frustrating. The developers may want to consider adding further hints to help users progress.

Code Monkey Courses

• Novice – Block Coding – Sequencing and Looping
• Novice – Block Coding – Advanced Sequencing and Looping
• Novice – Block Coding – Conditional Loops
• Novice – Block Coding – Procedures
• Beginner - Block Coding – Sequencing and Simple Loops
• Beginner - Block Coding – Conditional Loops
• Beginner - Block Coding – If/Else Conditions
• Beginner - Block Coding – Mini Course
• Beginner - Text Coding – Fundamentals Part 1
• Beginner - Text Coding – Functions and Conditions Part 2
• Beginner - Text Coding – Logic and Events Part 3
• Beginner - Text Coding – Fundamentals Part 1
• Beginner - Text Coding – Functions and Conditions Part 2
• Beginner - Text Coding – Logic and Events Part 3
• Beginner – Digital Literacy – Digital Use
• Beginner – Digital Literacy – Digital Citizenship
• Beginner – Digital Literacy – Mini Course
• Beginner - Text Coding – Mini Course
• Intermediate – Block Coding – Mini Course
• Intermediate – Text Coding – Platformer
• Intermediate – Text Coding – Game Creation Course
• Intermediate – Text Coding – Game Creation Course
• Intermediate – Text Coding – Mini Course
• Intermediate – Python – Python Fundamental Part 1
• Intermediate – Python – Advanced Topics Part 2
• Advanced – Python – Python Course
• Advanced – Python – Mini Course
• Beginner – STEM - Distances
• Beginner – STEM - Angles
• Beginner – STEM - Multiplication
• Beginner – STEM – Mini Course
• Intermediate – STEM – Mini Course
• Beginner – Creativity – Challenge Builder
• Intermediate – Creativity – Game Builder

What we love about the Code Monkey app  

This application delivers on many levels and we particularly enjoyed the following:

• The user’s dashboard is a delight to navigate. Easy to access screens that clearly display information.
• The chat function that appears in the bottom right of the screen enables the user to ask questions regarding code monkey. This feature also alerts the users to new features and news.
• The ability to download certificates is an excellent feature that will keep students motivated and engaged.
• Adding a Super Hints feature to student progress could really help those students who need extra support such as Special needs students or students of lower ability.
• The quiz feature of the application is ideal for classroom starter activities or lesson plenaries to consolidate key knowledge.
• The Teacher’s Resources section is truly amazing! There is something here for every teacher whether you are proficient with coding or new to the concept. We particularly love the ‘How to Guides’ which includes video tutorials for the user dashboard as well as a classroom management guide and so much more.
• The Coding Adventure Video Tutorials are an excellent way for teachers and students to get started with key coding concepts. We love the narrated videos that are easy to follow and beautifully presented.
• Some of the coding challenges are very difficult so we found the Solutions Page a lifesaver!
• The ability to share your coding game designs and challenges via the Discovery section is a fantastic idea that will motivate students to create their own coding designs for all to see!
• The sequencing of learning is excellent and provides the user with step-by-step guidance adding a level of difficulty each time. Users can use the platform to gain confidence in a very short space of time.

What skills does it teach?

The application will assist children aged 5 to 14 in learning computer visual coding using block, text and specific programs such as Python. The software will enable children to build confidence in their computer skills from the outset and develop those skills through guidance to a very high level. Children can experiment and practise their computer programming skills through challenges and game-based learning as well as creating their own gaming elements. 

The application will also assist teachers in the delivery of visual coding using the teacher dashboard and its unique resources. The dashboard is a one-stop shop for all your computer coding curriculum needs from rigorous pupil monitoring to printable certificates to online training and webinars.

What age is it appropriate for?

CodeMonkey is suitable for users from 5 to 14 as described on the dashboard page. However, we believe that users could be above the age of 14 especially when it comes to the more complex courses and game creation where the possibilities for complexity are endless. 

Is the Code Monkey app easy to use?

Code Monkey is a versatile application with menu systems and features that are very easy to navigate. The application has a clean look to the interface and the graphics are excellent, at no point does the screen look cluttered. The fonts, graphics and tools make the application a pleasure to use. We were impressed with the walk-through video tutorials, lesson plans and courses. Children will find the interface easy to use and access. Using this application will enable children to gain confidence in computer programming from the outset.

How will parents benefit?

This application is ideal for parents who wish to introduce their children to visual computer coding. Parents will be pleased to learn that the coding taught is similar to that of a real developer enabling the child to experience real-world skills that can be used in the future. Parents can track their child’s progress, which is self-paced as well as monitor screen time. The dashboard is very easy to navigate and use even for those parents who are limited in their own technology skills.

What is included with the free version vs. paid?

Code Monkey offers a free trial and two payment plans for teachers and parents. The teacher's plan offers custom plans for the school and district upon request. The Individual plan offers a single child and parental account, progress tracking and online support. The Family plan supports 3 child accounts and 1 parental account along with progress tracking and online support. The Home School plan offers accounts for up to 5 students and 2 teacher accounts. Access to the classroom dashboard, lesson plans, solutions to all the exercises and online support.

Is Code Monkey safe to use?

Yes, Code Monkey is safe to use. The applications 'Terms of use' and 'Privacy Policies' can be seen on the applications supporting the website. Code Monkey is also a recognised member of the Kid SAFE Seal Program. This means that the product below has been independently reviewed, certified, and/or listed by kidSAFE to meet certain standards of online safety and/or privacy, and is authorised to display the kidSAFE Seal.

What the Code Monkey app could improve on?

This application delivers on many levels but we did feel that the application could improve the following:

• The teacher's lesson plans are excellent but follow the US Educational System. We would like to see Lesson Plans for the UK Educational Market with links to the UK National Curriculum rather than the US common core.
• The teacher's lesson plans could also include Key Words for Literacy as well as Stretch and Challenge Tasks for gifted students.
• We noticed that even if a hint was asked for when solving a coding puzzle three stars were still awarded. The developers may need to reconsider the scoring of a hint that has been asked for.
• The developers may consider adding coloured overlays to the graphics to help those with dyslexia.
• The developers may consider an option to increase narration or font size for those who are partially sighted.
• The developers should indicate on the learning maps which level introduces new concepts so the user can jump to this level to try them out.
• It would be good to be able to access the hint again once it has disappeared.
• We noted that even when text coding steps were entered were too long the banana was still retrieved with the solution still scoring 3 stars even though we overshot the banana.

Overall Rating of the application

Code Monkey is an excellent application which provides a flexible wonderful platform for children to learn coding in an exciting and engaging manner. There are several visual coding applications available and this is by far one of the best. What makes Code Monkey stand out from its rivals is its vast content of computer programming skills, its engaging nature and access to the dashboard to support children through their coding journey. The application Code Monkey comes highly recommended by The Educational App Store.