On the 4th day of Tech-mas, my Ed Techs, to me, showed … great activities for Hour of Code!
It's the most wonderful time of the year again... Computer Science Education Week is December 7 - 11! Once again, our friends at Code.org have added even more engaging coding activities for students at every grade level. This year, your students can use their Chromebooks to create a dance party animation, build a Star Wars galaxy, or even design their own retro arcade video game!
Don't worry if you aren't a coding expert; you don't have to be! Each activity is carefully designed to be self-guided, and when students get stuck, help is never more than a click away.
If you encourage your students to spend at least one hour learning to code, you won't be alone. Last year, over 50 million students around the world participated. Don't be surprised if some of your students develop a healthy interest in coding and computer science; we know many students in the District whose exposure to coding at the elementary level motivated them to pursue more serious study of computer science at the secondary level.
More than ever before, Computer Science Education is important. Every 21st century citizen will need to have at least a basic understanding of the algorithms and apps that we all use in our everyday lives. There is already a shortage of over 400,000 jobs in computer science, so a young person's interest in coding today could well grow into an important future career opportunity.
The best thing about Hour of Code's activities is that your students can actually do them any time of the year, not just during this week!
Do you have an idea about how to introduce coding and computer science in your classroom? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Stay Techie,
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