Feature updates for the new school year: Standalone code editor, Java, and more!
Aug 12, 2024
By: Shannon Borden
As back-to-school approaches for many teachers, Kira is thrilled to announce a suite of new features designed to enhance the learning experience for both students and educators. These updates include support for Java, a standalone integrated development environment (IDE), a multi-file code editor, and collaborative coding capabilities.
This catalog of new features is an exciting step forward for the Kira platform, and will unlock all sorts of new ways for teachers and students to learn.
Here’s a closer look at what you can expect:
Standalone IDE
Our new standalone IDE provides a powerful, user-friendly environment for coding. This feature is designed to simplify the learning process, allowing students to further develop their skills with extra practice.
The IDE supports various programming languages and offers features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and debugging tools to enhance the coding experience.
What is a standalone editor?
A standalone IDE is a code editor that exists outside of the context of Kira courses, allowing students and teachers alike a sandbox area to write and run code. It also allows
What this means for teachers:
Streamlined instruction: Easily demonstrate coding concepts in a simplified, user-friendly environment.
Customizable assignments: Create and distribute coding tasks tailored to your curriculum needs.
What this means for students:
Hands-on learning: Engage with interactive coding exercises and projects.
Independent practice: Explore coding concepts at your own pace with a supportive toolset.
Where to find it in the platform:
On the side panel, select Code editor.
In the pop-up window, open an existing project, or create a new project.
Select which programming language you’d like to use.
Create or select a file on the left panel and start writing code!
Java support
Java remains one of the most popular programming languages in education and industry alike. Recognizing its importance, Kira now supports Java in our standalone code editor!
What this means for teachers:
Versatile curriculum: Integrate Java into your lessons, expanding the range of programming languages you can teach.
Industry relevance: Prepare students for real-world applications with one of the most widely-used programming languages.
What this means for students:
Foundational skills: Learn Java, a key language that forms the backbone of many software applications.
Problem solving: Students will start building an understanding of when to use different coding languages successfully.
Where to find it:
When you open the new standalone code editor, you’ll be asked to choose a coding language, where Java will be listed as an option.
On the side panel, select Code editor.
In the pop-up window, open an existing project, or create a new project.
When prompted to choose a programming language, select Java.
Java is currently only available in our standalone code editor, but will be integrated to our AP CS A course, which is launching very soon.
Coming Soon: Collaborative Coding
Collaboration is a key aspect of modern software development. With our new collaborative coding feature, students can work together on projects in real-time. This functionality allows multiple users to edit the same codebase simultaneously, making it ideal for group assignments and peer learning.
Keep an eye out — we're planning to release collaborative coding in the next week!
~
As always, our priority is continuing to provide Computer Science educators with the best tools to inspire and educate the next generation of programmers. Stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to experience the new Kira Learning this back-to-school season!
