USER’S GUIDE Catalog No. 1-02700-00 For more resources, including a teaching curriculum, visit codejumper.com American Printing House for the Blind 1839 Frankfort Avenue Louisville, KY 40206-0085 Phone: 502-895-2405 Toll Free: 800-223-1839 Fax: 502-899-2284 E-mail: info@aph.org Website: www.aph.
FCC Compliance Statement: Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
ISED Compliance Statement: This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s licenceexempt RSS(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. This device may not cause interference. 2. This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.
RF Exposure Compliance Statement: This equipment complies with FCC/IC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This transmitter must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. Ce matériel est conforme aux limites de dose d'exposition aux rayonnements FCC/IC énoncées pour un autre environnement.cet émetteur ne doit pas être situées ou opérant conjointement avec toute autre antenne ou l'émetteur.
Thank you for purchasing the CODE JUMPER! Requires 4 x 1.5V "AA"/LR6 alkaline batteries (not included). Phillips/cross head screwdriver (not included) needed to insert batteries. To begin playing with your Code Jumper, you must first install batteries. TO INSTALL BATTERIES Use a Phillips/cross head screwdriver, loosen screw in battery compartment cover (screw stays attached to cover) on the bottom of Hub. Insert 4 X 1.5V "AA"/LR6 alkaline batteries. Replace cover and tighten screw.
CAUTION: 1. Always follow the instructions carefully. Use only batteries specified and be sure to insert item correctly by matching the + and – polarity markings. 2. Do not mix old batteries and new batteries or standard (carbon-zinc) with alkaline batteries. 3. Remove exhausted or dead batteries from the product. 4. Remove batteries if product is not to be played with for a long time. 5. Do not short circuit the supply terminals. 6. RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES: Do not mix these with any other types of battery.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1.1. Welcome to Code Jumper! 1.2. How Does Code Jumper Work? 1.3. System Requirements 1.4. Set Up Code Jumper 2. Code Jumper Features 3. Code Jumper Components 3.1. The Hub Is Where It All Begins 3.2. Code Jumper App 3.3. What Are Command Pods and What Do They Do? 3.3.1. Play pod 3.3.2. Pause pod 3.3.3. Loop pod 3.3.4. Selection pod 3.3.5. Merge pod 3.4. What Are the Plugs Used for? 3.4.1. Constants 3.4.2. Random 3.4.3. Infinity 3.4.4. Counters 3.4.5. Variables 3.5.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 3.6.2.1. Create a Custom Sound Set [p #] 3.6.2.2.
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Welcome to Code Jumper! With no experience required for teachers or students, Code Jumper is an easy platform to help students build the skills necessary for a modern workplace. Students will utilize flexible and computational thinking as they question, predict, experiment, and apply fundamental programming concepts in a concrete and tangible way. Code Jumper was developed by Microsoft and is distributed by the American Printing House for the Blind.
1.2. How does Code Jumper work? Code Jumper works by physically joining together command pods to create a sequence of code. Usually, a program is made up of written commands, but each of the Code Jumper command pods functions like one of those written commands. A line of code also appears in the Code Jumper app every time that a command pod is connected to the Hub. By pressing Play on the Hub or in the app, the sounds are played in the order they were sequenced.
1.4. Set Up Code Jumper (1) Download and install the free Code Jumper app from the Microsoft Store. To download, open the Microsoft Store app on your computer and sign in. (If you don't have a Microsoft Store account, you need to create one first.) Then search “Code Jumper” and press Install. (2) Remove the cover on the back of the Code Jumper Hub and insert four AA batteries (batteries not included). (3) Turn on the Hub and connect it to your Windows computer via Bluetooth.
(6) Open the newly installed Code Jumper app. Make sure the Hub is still on. Wait a few seconds to allow the Hub to connect to the app. You will hear a clicking sound once the connection is set. (7) For questions regarding setup, see Troubleshooting. [Back to Top] 2. CODE JUMPER FEATURES • Auditory in nature: students can make their own sounds or use pre-set sounds, musical notes, songs or voiced stories. • Physical components are used in combination with the Code Jumper app.
• Ages 7-11 (or older) who have never learned coding [Back to Top] 3. CODE JUMPER COMPONENTS 3.1. The Hub Is Where It All Begins The Hub has two buttons, Play and Stop, and four ports along the edge that allow command pods to be plugged into it. When the Hub is placed with the ports adjacent to your body, the ports are numbered from left to right as 1, 2, 3, and 4.
PLAY AND STOP BUTTONS pressed together—the program is read aloud, also known as “listening to the code.” [Figure Caption:] An image showing the Hub [Back to Top] 3.2. Code Jumper App The Code Jumper app screen has six icons on its menu bar.
The first column in the screenshot shown below shows the commands for a three-pod program playing the notes E5, A5, and G5. [Figure Caption:] An image showing the Home page of the Code Jumper app Users who use screen-reading software may use the keyboard to navigate through the Home page of the app. Use the Left and Right arrow keys to quickly switch between threads, and the Up and Down keys and the Tab key to move item by item within a thread. [Back to Top] 3.3.
pods are white and a secondary color, as described below. Each pod is shaped like a computer mouse. 3.3.1. PLAY POD (8)—Two blue dials On the Play pod, a wire extends from one end; there is a port in the opposite, notched end; and the top has two blue dials. SOUND DIAL—The flatter, doughnut-shaped dial changes the sound that is played. To change the sound options available, use the Code Jumper app to adjust the sound categories and sound sets.
[Figure Caption:] An image showing a Play pod [Back to Top] 3.3.2. PAUSE POD (3)—One orange dial The Pause pod enables you to create a delay between two sounds in the middle of a sequence of code. The pause can range from 1/4 beat to 2 beats. Like the Play pod, the Pause pod has a wire extending from one end and a port in the opposite, notched end. It has only one dial, which is orange.
3.3.3. LOOP POD (2)—One yellow dial On the Loop pod, two wires—one longer than the other—extend from one end; the opposite, notched end houses two ports; and the dial is yellow. • The Loop pod repeats a set of commands by adjusting the dial to the number of times you wish to repeat the commands. • Place the Loop pod with the wire connectors on the left. The shorter wire connector is where the main program enters the loop.
3.3.4. SELECTION POD—Two green, gear-shaped dials The Selection pod has a wire extending from one long edge, two ports on the opposite edge, and two gearshaped dials. • The Selection pod allows different paths to be taken through a program depending on the values set on its two dials. • Each dial has a port related to it. Both dials can be set to any value between 1 and 8.
3.3.5. MERGE POD (1)—green, with no dials The Merge pod is solid green with two wires extending from one long edge and a single port in the opposite, notched edge. • The Merge pod allows two paths from the Selection pod to join back together. Connect the ends of the two paths from the Selection pod to the Merge pod's two wires. • If you want to continue the program, connect the next command pod in the program to the port on the Merge pod.
3.4. What Are the Plugs Used for? Plugs are used to override the value set on the dial in which it is inserted. There are five types of plugs: 3.4.1. CONSTANTS (8)—purple, with raised dots A Constant plug is used to set a command pod's dial to a fixed value by inserting it into the dial. Constant plugs can be used with a Loop pod, a Selection pod, the Play pod's Sound dial, and can be used to assign values to the Variable plugs. [Figure Caption:] An image showing the top view of a Constant plug 3.4.2.
[Figure Caption:] An image showing the Random plug 3.4.3. INFINITY (1)—purple, with raised infinity symbol (∞) The Infinity plug is used to change the value in a Loop pod to infinity. This will run infinite loops until the Pause button on the Hub is pressed. [Figure Caption:] An image showing the Infinity plug 3.4.4.
The Plus plug increases the value you set on a Play pod’s Sound dial by 1, and the Minus plug decreases that value by 1. • A Counter inserted into the Sound dial on the Play pod will read the next or previous sound in the sound set, respectively. • If a Plus plug or a Minus plug is inserted into the Sound dial on a Play pod that’s inside a Loop; this changes the sound to the next sound or previous sound in the sound set each time the loop repeats.
the value stored in the variable for each repetition of the commands. [Figure Caption:] An image showing a Variable plug [Back to Top] 3.5. Extender Cable (1) The white extender cable has a plug in one end and a port in the other. It is used when extra space is needed to connect pods together in complicated programs (e.g. nested loops). To use this cable properly, connect pods to its port before connecting its plug end to other pods or the Hub.
3.6. Sound Sets 3.6.1. PRE-RECORDED SOUND SETS Each connector on the Hub can have a different group of sounds assigned to it. Sound sets have up to 8 related sounds and will play on the string of commands that are plugged into that port on the Hub. The order of sounds in a sound set is fixed and has a number associated with it. Sound sets assigned to the connectors can be changed in the app. They are located next to the thread number.
3.6.2. ADDING IN CUSTOM SOUNDS To add your own sounds, create a custom sound set and then add sounds to it. 3.6.2.1. CREATE A CUSTOM SOUND SET (1) Click the musical notes icon on the Home page menu bar. (2) Click the Add Sound Set button next to the Custom Sound Sets dropdown list. (3) Type a name in the Enter Sound Set Name text box that appears. (4) Click Done. [Back to Top] 3.6.2.2. ADD A CUSTOM SOUND (1) Select a sound in the Sounds In This Sound Set dropdown list, then press the Add Or Edit button.
(7) Press Home to go back to the Home page of the Code Jumper app. Your sound sets will be visible under the Custom Sounds category, and you can use them in your programs. [Figure Caption:] An image showing the Manage Custom Sounds page [Back to Top] 4. THREADING Each port on the Hub can have a set of command pods connected to it. Each set is called a thread and will run at the same time. This allows two or more types of sounds to be played at the same time, such as the melody and harmony in a song.
[Figure Caption:] An image showing the Code Jumper Hub with two threads of code using Play, Pause, and Loop pods [Back to Top] 5. TROUBLESHOOTING HOW DO I KNOW IF THE HUB IS CONNECTED TO THE CODE JUMPER APP? If the Bluetooth icon in the Code Jumper app (leftmost icon on the top-right of the screen) has a red box around the Bluetooth symbol, the Hub is connected to the app. Users who use screen reading software will hear “Bluetooth Connected” when moving keyboard focus to that icon.
• Make sure that the Hub is connected to the computer via Bluetooth. This should be done in the Bluetooth settings of your computer. You can find instructions online for how to set up Bluetooth on your particular computer. • Make sure your computer is using the Windows 10 operating system (version 1803 or above). To determine your version of Windows, click the Start button. In the resulting command field, type “winver” and press Enter.
HOW CAN I CHANGE WHICH DEVICE MY SOUND CONNECTS TO? On your computer, open the audio settings and change the desired playback device. (In Windows, click the volume icon in the task tray to access these settings.) HOW DO I CONNECT HEADPHONES TO CODE JUMPER? It is not possible to connect headphones to the Code Jumper Hub. Headphones can be connected to the computer or tablet.
• Check the battery level on the Code Jumper Hub (see “How do I know I need to change the batteries, and how do I change them?”). • Check whether the code shows up in the Code Jumper app. If the color of the code is muted (faded out), there is a syntax error (see “Code Jumper burped— What does that mean?”). CODE JUMPER BURPED—WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? When your pods are not correctly connected, it is called a syntax error and you will hear a burp sound. Common problems include: • The loop is not closed.
HOW DO I KNOW I NEED TO CHANGE THE BATTERIES, AND HOW DO I CHANGE THEM? • If you’ve turned on the Hub using its Volume dial and the light on the Hub is not on, the batteries are dead. • To change the batteries, remove the battery cover from the bottom of the Hub, remove the old batteries, insert four new AA batteries, and then replace the battery cover. • If you plug in a pod or plug properly but do not hear a clicking sound, the batteries might be dead.
• Students who are blind might save their programs by taking notes. • Allow enough time in the lesson or experimentation time to record their progress and programs. [Back to Top] 6. TIPS AND TRICKS • Try putting the Play pods together in a straight line, so that Loop pods are an obvious offshoot. • Trace the code by touching the pods as the sound for that pod is played. This helps strengthen students’ understanding of the programs. • Remember to turn off the Hub when you are finished using the kit.
WHY IS CODING IMPORTANT? Educators around the world are striving to help students prepare for the ever-changing digital age. Knowledge about computer science is necessary to help students proceed with competence into their future careers, and programming is a key part of that. It is estimated that over half the current workforce requires a high level of digital skills, which can include financial modelling, content creation, and social media analysis. In addition to this, 50% of top paying jobs in the U.S.
• The ability to identify multiple possible solutions to a problem • The ability to develop a solution to a problem WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT LEARNING TO CODE FOR STUDENTS WITH A VISUAL DISABILITY? Digital skills and technology can be very empowering. However, there is still a divide between those who have access to technology and the skills to use them and the ones who do not. For example, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in the fall of 2016.
manipulating the code (e.g. drag and drop) and in the effect that the code has (e.g. animation, moving a robot). As such, they are not appropriate to students with a visual disability. Code Jumper provides students with visual disabilities an appropriate entry point to coding. This will hopefully help those students acquire the skills necessary for a modern workplace.
8. TRY IT YOURSELF! (1) Connect three Play pods together and then attach them to the Hub. (2) Play pre-loaded sounds. Choose the kinds of sounds you want to hear by selecting the sound category and sound set in the Code Jumper app. Each port on the Hub has sounds assigned to it that correspond to the columns in the Code Jumper app. This determines the specific sounds that will be available to use with the command pods connected to that port on the Hub. (3) Press the Play button.
(6) As practice, encourage students to read the code shown in the Code Jumper app (which can be done via a screen reader) after creating the physical components with the Code Jumper kit. As students progress in their understanding, they can design a program by writing or touch-typing code before trying to use the Code Jumper kit. (7) Playing sounds simultaneously: Connect a set of command pods to two ports on the Hub. The program will play the sounds from both sets at the same time.
SOLUTION: (1) Click the white box adjacent to Thread 1 and select the Sample Sounds sound category and the Twinkle, Twinkle sound set. (2) [Figure Caption:] A dialog box showing the Sample Sounds sound category and the Twinkle, Twinkle sound set (3) Connect four Play pods together and then plug the thread into Port 1 on the Hub.
(4) Turn the Sound dial on the first Play pod until you hear the word Twinkle. (5) Check the code in the Code Jumper app to make sure the first Play pod plays “Twinkle 1”, as there is more than one Twinkle sound. (6) Adjust the speed to 1.5 by turning the Duration dial of the first Play pod. (7) Read the code displayed in the Code Jumper app to ensure it reads “for 1.5 times speed”. (8) Repeat steps 3-5, above, until you’ve set the sounds for all four Play pods.
