In December your student(s) will be participating in an Hour of Code during their STEM/Technology rotation.  What is the Hour of Code?  The Hour of Code started out as a one-hour introduction to coding and computer science designed to show that anyone can learn the basics of coding and become interested in the field of computer science.  The Hour of Code has turned into more than that.  It has turned into a worldwide effort to give every student a chance to learn coding and computer science.  Imagine the impact we can have if the hands kids use to navigate apps and play video games are the ones designing them too!   With technology changing every industry on the planet, computing knowledge has become part of a well-rounded skill set.  When young children have the opportunity to be more than consumers of technology, they can create new technologies and solutions to change the world. 

So, Hour of Code officially starts on December 4th, 2023 and your students will be participating in their STEM/Technology EnCORE class, but the Hour of Code is not just for students.  Anyone can participate.  Set aside 1 hour and be a part of an Hour of Learning with your student.  This can take place anytime from December 6-12.  Don't worry if you miss it, you can take part even after the week is done.  Over 100 million students worldwide have tried an Hour of Code, and we want to continue encouraging everyone in our community to engage with computer science and coding.

• hourofcode.com

Students will be the architects of their own creativity while building 2D and 3D structures using KEVA Planks.  All students start by exploring to see what they are able to build.  As students build they quickly discover that the possibilities are endless.  By the end of the rotation many students are not just building the tallest towers, but are becoming more masterful at what they build and they connect their structures together with their classmates.  

kevaplanks.com

Keva Plank Tips:

• Simply stack the solid Keva planks to create buildings, monuments and geometric forms

• Great for engineering challenges

• Avoid building structures on uneven surfaces

• Blend you other toys with Keva planks for even more fun

• Don't limit your imagination

Team C students will be discussing Digital Citizenship and working in basic Scratch Programming.  Digital Citizenship is very important and is taught throughout the school year, but time is dedicated to talking about Digital Citizenship, caring for school and home technology equipment, and developing a basic level of Scratch Programming for their Scratch Programming Project in Rotation #3.  Check out Scratch for coding and Interland:  Be Internet Awesome as a resource for the Gamification of Digital Citizenship.

For Digital Citizenship we will be talking about these questions:

• How can we be safe, responsible, and respectful online?

• Why is it important to listen to your feelings when using technology?

• How do you stay safe when visiting a website or app?

• What should you do if someone is mean to you online?

• How can you give credit for other people's work?