Hi MakeCode Team and community,
I wanted to share something I’ve been working on that might be of interest to the MakeCode ecosystem.
I’ve developed TextlyJava, a simplified version of Java designed for educational use, which is integrated into Open Roberta Lab. The idea is to make the transition between block-based and textual programming easier for students, while providing clear feedback in case of parser or semantic errors – something that’s often missing in beginner environments.
You can try it here:
Choose micro:bit V2 → click on More Options → check the box for “NEPO Java”.
Once activated, users can build their program using blocks as usual, and then open the Textly Editor tab to view or modify the equivalent TextlyJava code.
Any edits in the Textly tab are automatically reflected when switching back to NEPO blocks.
Please note: the final version will be released in a couple of weeks, as there are still a few minor visual bugs on the frontend.
I’d love to explore whether TextlyJava (or Java itself) could be brought into MakeCode to give learners the option to toggle between blocks and beginner-friendly text — with better error messages and more educational structure.
I’m also currently experimenting with tangible programming using ArUco markers, which could allow students to program with physical cards or blocks and see the results live — a more interactive and accessible approach.
I’m really passionate about educational tools and would love to know:
Is your team hiring, or is there someone I could talk to about potential collaboration or opportunities?
It would be a dream to contribute to MakeCode’s mission and help build more tools that support learning.
Thanks for reading — and happy to answer questions or share code examples if there’s interest!
Best regards,
Alvaro Gabriel Calderon Toledo