Binary Code Toolkit

Use this beautifully designed app to introduce the binary code and how it works. The app presents all the letters of the English alphabet as well as the numbers from zero to 9. Learning to use the binary code is an fun way to send secret messages to your friends. It is also a way for teachers to introduce the history of computers and basic concepts related to Boolean logic and ASCII. Learning about the binary representation of data is important because it is an essential concept in computer science. It also provides a fundamental understanding regarding how communication is possible between computers using the Amercan Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII). The adoption of this universal code made the digital revolution possible. It was an important step that helped in the expansion of digital technology.

The Binary Code Toolkit is an interactive learning tool for introducing how the system is used to represent meaningful data with a series of 0's and 1's. Bob Bemer developed the ASCII coding system to standardize the way computers represent letters, numbers, punctuation marks and some control codes. He also introduced the backslash and escape key to the world of computers and was one of the first to warn about the dangers of the millennium bug. The millenium bug was a problem related to the need to use additional bits to represent the correct year on a computer after the turn of the century.

When using the app In the exploration mode users can press any key and see the how to represent the associated letter using just 0's and 1's. Using the keyboard students can practice speeling words using the binary code. Switch to the number mode to learn how to represent the digits from zero to 9. Press any key in this mode and see how to represent a digit using a series of 0's and 1's.

Students who are learning about the binary code will find the quiz feature helpful. After pressing the question mark to start the quiz a word is randomly selected from a list of words. The way to spell the word using using bits and bytes is shown. The object is for the student to recognize the on and off LED's that represent the characters in the word and to type them on the keyboard.

Speech effects are provided so that when a letter is pressed on the keyboard it is pronounced aloud. This feature can optionally be turned on or off.