Hour of Code Badge

From what I know about Hour of Code and its use in Ontario classrooms, it seems like Hour of Code is implemented as something that is different and separate from the rest of the students' course work. I have seen it used as a "once a year" activity, almost as a novelty and break from "real" school. I have also seen Hour of Code used as a type of reward. For example, if students finish all of their work and have some free time in class then they can get a computer and use Hour of Code. I am not sure that I agree with either of these implementations of Hour of Code in the classroom and so I would like to share some of my own ideas on how Hour of Code could be used effectively.

From my brief experience with Hour of Code so far, I can see many connections between it and the curriculum expectations in math and other subjects. I see that coding teaches skills like repetition, sequencing and conditional logic that are loosely related to math and can certainly offer transferable knowledge. It is also evident that coding teaches students critical thinking and problem solving skills which are curriculum expectations in and of themselves. This is why I think that it might be best to teach students about how Hour of Code is related to the curriculum and how it is teaching them valuable transferable skills. This way students know that there is a purpose behind the activity and can have fun while developing crucial 21st century skills.