Classmates - An Educational Video for the Code Curious

Classmates - An Educational Video for the Code Curious

While sheltering due to COVID-19, my daughter Hattie and I wanted to share a coding project we built together to deal with our new normal. With only a web browser, you and your grownup will be able to build a telephone app – even without any prior coding experience.

Read on and learn how to build your very own call-in conference number that will allow you to connect with all the people in your life that you are probably missing right now (all at once!). At the end of this post, follow along with our video and lesson plan.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the news of schools closing shook me. In fact, it shook all of us – including my kids. My daughter Hattie loves school. She loves learning and interacting with her second-grade classmates.

Social distancing is hard for us grownups, but it’s so much harder on our younger population.

Think about it: they were just getting good at sharing, being kind and inclusive, and all the other wonderful social tools you begin mastering in school. (Not to mention learning how to prioritize who is up next in the jump rope line...)

The first week, Hattie was very upset that she couldn’t have her normal playdate with her friends. We tried calling one friend at a time, and it became immediately clear it just wasn’t the same. Being a Twilion, it’s very common to solve any sort of communication problem you might have with code. So I did.

I wrote some code real quick that allowed you to call into a voice conference. We texted the parents the phone number, and the kids called in. They talked on the phone for about three or so hours, getting everything off their chests about this new normal.

(They were also finally able to share their song parodies where key phrases of the chorus were replaced with the name of their favorite emoji, 💩.)

“How’d you do that, Dad?”

Naturally, Hattie asked me how the magic worked.

The code I wrote turned out to be only four lines long. So, I decided to make it an educational moment. I mean – we’re all looking for these types of projects to do with our littles, right?

And she loved it. She asked so many questions. She wanted to play with the code and tweak it. We solved a problem that she was currently facing, and she saw the power of code in a way that really resonated with her.

“So is this what you do for your job, Dad?”

Well...kinda.

My job as a Developer Educator is to teach people how to build their own solutions to their specific problems. I explained that I use documentation and videos to give people the skills they need to achieve their goals.

When she asked how the educational videos get created, it got me thinking: Why don’t I just show her?

So that’s what we did. Together we wrote a script, and she did all the artwork for the motion design.

I gave her some presentation tips for onset. Our production crew was able to deliver the filming equipment and remotely control the camera, as well as direct us over Zoom. (This new normal sure seems weird...amirite?)

Turns out Hattie’s a natural. But I’m her dad, so everything she does is amazing to me. I’ll let you be the judge.

Classmates – Connect with your friends using code

We hope you’re able to watch and build the project with an important kiddo in your life. All you need is a web browser! Both of you’ve got this – and we can’t wait to see what you build.

If you would like to keep your coding education going, Hattie and I both highly recommend checking out TwilioQuest, a learn-to-code video game 🎮.

Craig Dennis is a Developer Educator at Twilio. He’s currently trying his best, just like you. He can be reached at @craigsdennis.

Hattie Hamilton Dennis is a student. Craig will share your thoughts, feedback, ideas, and song parodies with her.