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As computer science teachers seek ways to engage students with real-world, collaborative and cross-disciplinary projects, this talk will introduce exciting new features in NetsBlox, an extension of Snap!. NetsBlox enables students to create distributed computing projects using just two simple concepts: Remote Procedure Calls (RPC) for accessing online data and services, and message passing for communication between projects. These abstractions make advanced CS concepts accessible, making engaging real-world projects possible while enabling students to build non-trivial distributed systems like chatrooms and multiplayer games.

We'll demonstrate four new additions that dramatically expand classroom possibilities:

BeatBlox transforms programming into music creation, perfect for interdisciplinary projects. Students can import popular songs and beats and connect keyboards or microphones to blend algorithmic and live music. They can import sheet music directly into code and create digital bands where each computer becomes an instrument playing in perfect synchronization. Imagine students coding their own DJ software or collaboratively composing algorithmic symphonies.

PhoneIoT turns any smartphone into a programmable sensor platform and remote controller. NetsBlox projects can access phone sensors like accelerometer and gyroscope and create custom touch interfaces with buttons and joysticks. PhoneIoT makes it possible for students to control their projects through tilting, touching, turning or shaking. The breakthrough feature lets NetsBlox programs run directly on phones, enabling real-time sensor processing. The results of those computations can then be stored in the cloud with RPCs or sent back to another NetsBlox program running on the computer using message passing. Using PhoneIoT and NetsBlox, students can build everything from motion-controlled games to data collection apps for science classes using their own phones.

RoboScape Online provides 3D robot simulation where multiple students collaborate or compete using individual robots or even robot teams. The major new feature is worldbuilding - students can design and modify 3D environments directly from NetsBlox code, creating dynamic simulations where obstacles appear randomly or multi-level robot challenges emerge programmatically. This makes robotics even more exciting and accessible to any classroom without expensive hardware.

AI Integration connects students to ChatGPT through a simple NetsBlox service, enabling custom chatbots and intelligent game characters. We'll also preview BloxBuddy, an AI programming tutor that helps students debug code, provides hints, and answers questions in real-time.

These additions address common teacher challenges: engaging reluctant programmers through music and games, connecting CS to other subjects, making mobile development accessible, and providing robotics experiences without hardware costs. Each tool scaffolds from beginner-friendly templates to advanced algorithmic thinking, supporting diverse skill levels within single classrooms.

All features run in-browser with no installation required, making them ideal for typical school environments and maintaining NetsBlox's core philosophy of making complex concepts simple. The talk will show live projects using each tool, complete with code examples teachers can immediately adapt for their classrooms.