Hour of Code
What's It All About?
What's It All About?
The Hour of Code began with the vision of Hadi and Ali Partovi after creating their non-profit, Code.org in January of 2013. Their vision is to make computer programming more accessible to all. I learned about this event and many others from attending the Computer Science Teachers Association Boston Chapter meeting where I connected with Kelly Powers one of the co-presidents of the CSTA Boston chapter at the time. The following year, Kelly Powers nominated myself and several other Massachusetts educators for the 100 Teachers Meeting. Educators from across the United States traveled to the 100 Teachers Meeting in Washington D.C. for a 2 day workshop thanks to the National Science Foundation, NSF, and National Center for Women & Information Technology, NCWIT. One of the many highlights of this event was meeting Hadi Partovi at the Eisenhower Executive Office at the White House. Have a listen to Hadi's powerful Ted Talk and you will see why he is so passionate about providing computer science opportunities for all.
The Hour of Code began with the vision of Hadi and Ali Partovi after creating their non-profit, Code.org in January of 2013. Their vision is to make computer programming more accessible to all. I learned about this event and many others from attending the Computer Science Teachers Association Boston Chapter meeting where I connected with Kelly Powers one of the co-presidents of the CSTA Boston chapter at the time. The following year, Kelly Powers nominated myself and several other Massachusetts educators for the 100 Teachers Meeting. Educators from across the United States traveled to the 100 Teachers Meeting in Washington D.C. for a 2 day workshop thanks to the National Science Foundation, NSF, and National Center for Women & Information Technology, NCWIT. One of the many highlights of this event was meeting Hadi Partovi at the Eisenhower Executive Office at the White House. Have a listen to Hadi's powerful Ted Talk and you will see why he is so passionate about providing computer science opportunities for all.
Since the Hour of Code began in 2013, the Groton-Dunstable Regional High School has participated in Hour of Code events to help promote an interest in computer programming and to demonstrate that computer science is for everyone. You do not have to be a rocket scientist! Thanks to a group of high school students and many teachers we were able to offer activities in 15 different locations within the school. Some teachers had so much fun they shared the activities with all of their classes. Other teachers less comfortable with running an activity opened their doors to let student presenters into their rooms. As you can imagine, this was such a win win on so many levels. No one was forced to participate but we had over 400 students take part in this first kick off event. In fact it was so successful this first year that the district got involved. We took it up a notch, student ambassadors at the high school were tasked and if needed, trained to lead and assist in breakout sessions across the district from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Students and teachers prepared, tested, and tweaked a series of age appropriate activities before traveling to the elementary and middle schools where they presented or assisted with coding activities like Relay Programming an unplugged activity, Hopscotch a block programming app we used on the iPad, and more advanced programs that use text based coding, like Khan Academy.
Since the Hour of Code began in 2013, the Groton-Dunstable Regional High School has participated in Hour of Code events to help promote an interest in computer programming and to demonstrate that computer science is for everyone. You do not have to be a rocket scientist! Thanks to a group of high school students and many teachers we were able to offer activities in 15 different locations within the school. Some teachers had so much fun they shared the activities with all of their classes. Other teachers less comfortable with running an activity opened their doors to let student presenters into their rooms. As you can imagine, this was such a win win on so many levels. No one was forced to participate but we had over 400 students take part in this first kick off event. In fact it was so successful this first year that the district got involved. We took it up a notch, student ambassadors at the high school were tasked and if needed, trained to lead and assist in breakout sessions across the district from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Students and teachers prepared, tested, and tweaked a series of age appropriate activities before traveling to the elementary and middle schools where they presented or assisted with coding activities like Relay Programming an unplugged activity, Hopscotch a block programming app we used on the iPad, and more advanced programs that use text based coding, like Khan Academy.
The Hour of Code event runs every year during National Computer Science Education Week which falls on Grace Hopper's birthday, December 9. I highly encourage you to get on board. Many states and other countries now recognize the importance of computer science and how it connects to just about everything we do today. If you're reading this post, thank a computer scientist. If you just ordered a Chai Latte from your phone so that you don't have to wait in line, thank a computer scientist. If you're learning something from a free online course like a MOOC, that a computer scientist. You get the idea! Let's not forget the other people involved in these tools that we have access to, like the barista that made the drink or the educator that built the online course. Computer science impacts our lives on a daily basis. It is our duty to provide opportunities for our students and children so they understand the basics of computer science and how it impacts our lives and our world.
The Hour of Code event runs every year during National Computer Science Education Week which falls on Grace Hopper's birthday, December 9. I highly encourage you to get on board. Many states and other countries now recognize the importance of computer science and how it connects to just about everything we do today. If you're reading this post, thank a computer scientist. If you just ordered a Chai Latte from your phone so that you don't have to wait in line, thank a computer scientist. If you're learning something from a free online course like a MOOC, that a computer scientist. You get the idea! Let's not forget the other people involved in these tools that we have access to, like the barista that made the drink or the educator that built the online course. Computer science impacts our lives on a daily basis. It is our duty to provide opportunities for our students and children so they understand the basics of computer science and how it impacts our lives and our world.
Check out Douglas Rushoff's point of view in Program or Be Programed: Ten Commandments in a Digital Age.
Check out Douglas Rushoff's point of view in Program or Be Programed: Ten Commandments in a Digital Age.