Creative Coding: Code Like a Beginner
Presenter: Sylvia Aguiñaga
Details for this workshop:
Students learn code the way they learn language. They learn to problem solve the way they play. In this virtual workshop, educators get hands-on with Star Stuff Edu, a free, browser-based coding game, and play long enough to get stuck, try again, and find a second way through. Along the way, we'll name the habits of computational thinking as they happen: tinkering, iteration, reflection. And we'll look at what shifts when a wrong answer becomes information instead of a verdict. We'll talk about how teachers can model this in the classroom by narrating their own uncertainty, thinking aloud as beginners, and letting students watch them figure it out. Educators leave with low-prep ways to introduce coding through play, plus Star Stuff Edu's lesson plans, solution videos, and classroom resources.
Virtual Workshop
2 PD Hours
Free Workshop
Sylvia grew up playing Nintendo games in her family’s bodega, often relying on her older brothers to beat levels for her. She didn’t believe she could do it herself. Beyond the screen, a pattern was forming – Sylvia avoided anything she thought she might fail at. This fear of failure shadowed her throughout college, where she witnessed her body and mind react to stress and pressure.
Her transformation didn’t happen in a classroom but in rural Japan, where she taught herself programming without fear of judgment. There, she created a safe space to learn, fail, and grow—something that has shaped every step of her career.
As Director of Curriculum & Creative Director at nonprofits focused on empowering youth in computer science, Sylvia recognized the need for more spaces where failure is part of learning. Now CEO & Game Designer at Ánimo Games, she creates playful, engaging experiences like Star Stuff, a programming puzzle game, the Star Stuff Edu Project to foster playful problem-solving in schools, and most recently, CouchGames.com, a home for cooperative puzzle games.
“We’re not just making games – we’re creating the type of experiences I wished for as a child who didn’t believe in herself. It's the quality screen time I want for my own children and families everywhere.”
Registration Deadline