Make Your Students Stars with the Tynker Showcase

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     Teachers have to be a whole lot of things to their students. Sometimes they have to be a counselor. Sometimes they have to be an advocate. Sometimes they even have to be a de-facto parent. A teacher fills any role that's needed, and I think our digital age has brought one to the forefront: PR person.
    Showing what's happening in your classroom has become an expectation. Parents require it, and even most schools require it. So, how can we do it simply with coding projects? Thankfully, Tynker has an answer for that called the "Showcase," and it's a lot more useful than you might think.
        The premise of the showcase is simple. The teacher sees the project, presses a button, and it's shared to a public page. This is a fully functional version of the project that a user can play and use, and if they want to see the code they simply pull it down as a remix. It is indeed a way for anyone to see the awesome things that kids are doing in class. It gives parents a bird's eye view, and it can even be an avenue for administrators to see the value of coding.
     Sharing is easy. Your students can see all of the projects shared to the "Showcase," and parents can easily be added by merely sharing a link. Having that link also allows a school to add the projects to the home page, and for a teacher to add the projects to their learning management system.
      The "Showcase" can be more though. To start, it can be a great avenue into peer review. All a student would have to do is open up another student project from the showcase, and then they could provide valuable feedback on how to make that students project better.
The "Showcase" could even be used more creatively. You could assign every student a chapter of a story, and they then have to create that aspect in video game format. Once every project is done, you should be able to play your way through the story.
      I think where the "Showcase" really stands out all comes back to its central principle: making kids authentic creators. The showcase gives them the ability to find an audience. They can easily share where their project is, and get others to use it.  Once they have users, you never where it could go. Just imagine a kid getting a job or scholarship based on the project that's easily accessible. While it seems unlikely, it could be possible with the Tynker showcase!