Group items tagged

"Here are ideas of apps and websites that teachers in my PLN used successfully in the past during Hour of Code:"

"As many of you are aware, I am a big advocate for integrating coding into classrooms of any age. Coding makes students think critically, look beyond the surface, solve problems, debug, collaborate and share. Coding is like solving a giant puzzle, where some answers are more efficient than others, but every kid gets an opportunity to create a solution. It's a student-centred environment which provides immediate feedback and let's kids take risks without fear or judgement."

"Now that the excitement of the Hour of Code has passed, and you still vividly remember your students' eyes light up while completing their coding challenges, you may be wondering how to keep that excitement going in your classroom. The only thing is, you don't teach computer science -- and you have no idea how to teach coding. The great news is, that's fine!"

"The Foos is part of a trend toward increasing emphasis on code as a fundamental literacy. You may have heard about the Hour of Code nonprofit initiative, which claims tens of millions of student participants; or New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio's recent announcement that he intends to require teaching of computer science in all grades for all students. "A computer science education is literacy for the 21st century," the mayor said at the announcement. Educators, researchers and entrepreneurs like Hosford are taking that analogy very seriously. They're arguing that the basic skills of coding, such as sequencing, pattern recognition and if/then conditional logic, should be introduced alongside or even before traditional reading, writing and math."

"I have been throwing some coding challenges up on my Twitter steam lately using the #WSDHSchallenges hashtag as a kind of test to see what kind of response I had to this sort of thing. The response has been fairly strong and so I am exploring the next step. I really can't take credit for this whole idea actually. It's really modelled after the Hour of Code activities, and the Twitter challenge connection was suggested by the incredibly smart cookies that attended my coding session at this year's CHARGE 2016 conference for preservice teachers at the University of Winnipeg I had the honour of being asked to participate in."

"This year we celebrated an Hour of Code (other posts from previous years can be found here and here)with an Interhouse Robotics Competition. Our Coding & Robotics Leader introduced the event and asked all the girls to dance to Code.org Dance Party Challenge as a warm up!"

"With Computer Science in Education (CSED) Week and Hour of Code right around the corner, we have a simple request: Don't teach coding. Instead, we suggest that you introduce computational thinking and creative problem solving into your classroom. This way, you can get at the big ideas behind computer science rather than focus on a single activity or lesson involving "code.""

Welcome to the Coding in the Classroom: Beyond the Hour of Code course. Work your way through this course at your own pace and in whatever order you prefer. Begin with the question in the panel to right, with Get Started Here: About You.

"There is no denying that coding is snowballing in importance across schools all around the world. Whether it's Scratch, Programming Games or the Hour of Code, an understanding of software and the ability to code is fast becoming an essential skill for all 21st century learners. At a recent TEDx event in Jackson Mississippi, Professor Marina Bers discussed her research into the design and study of innovative learning technologies to promote children's positive development. How does this research manifest and present itself in the real world? Well programming robots of course!"

"Welcome to the Computer Science Education Week! By now you may have heard of this little thing called Hour of Code, a global initiative from Code.org and CS Ed Week to get everyone-adults and kids alike!-to try just one hour of programming. Why? No, not so everyone can become programmers, but because exposure to programming can teach logic, problem solving, critical thinking, and demystify technology. Oh, and it's also fun!"

"Last January marked the launch of Code.org, a nonprofit that promotes computer-science education. Code.org launched Hour Of Code, a nationwide campaign that urged Americans to learn how to program. President Obama even recorded a video in support of the campaign. Nearly 15 million people responded to the call."

"I want people to realize that the concept of coding happens all the time in many classrooms. Kids tinker, make, solve problems, collaborate and challenge each other all the time. I'd argue that most teachers already do most of this list, without the awareness. The Hour of Code movement is great because it raises awareness but does little from the aforementioned list. HOC is a superb entry point but not a destination. Coding isn't the only way to demonstrate these skills - and technology isn't even required. I've been pushing coding for close to a decade now and am pleased to see it finally get some traction (and there were many before me). Now it is time for a next step. As such, I am proposing a new hashtag #CTMindset (Computational Thinking Mindset) to remind us how people think, computers think and technology works. If we can combine the three, maybe there is some hope."

"Hour of Code season has arrived, and we're excited to unveil new activities from our partners!"

Hour of Code season has arrived, and we're excited to unveil new activities from our partners!

"n a previous post I described why all students should participate in the upcoming Hour of Code event, which takes place December 3rd to 9th. Find more reasons to introduce students to coding in this article, Why Kids Should Learn To Code (And How To Get Them Started). If you don't have access to computers, don't worry because there are several unplugged ways to get students to learn about the technology they use daily. Below are a few ideas with links to plenty more! The activities below don't require a computer or the Internet and get students to work together to complete tasks."

"This coming week is  Computer Science Education Week, an annual event dedicated to inspiring students to take an interest in computer science. It may start with an 'Hour of Code' in some schools, but the goal is to reach "Computer Science for ALL." That means planning for more than a couple of programming exercises, and thinking deeper about how to create programs that teach computer science to every student. Where can schools start? Here are three guiding principles that have led to the success of the computer science programs at Los Altos School District (LASD) where I work as a teacher and computer science integration specialist. At our K-8 district in Northern California, all 4500 students learn computer science through programs that have been growing over the past seven years."

"Here are ideas of apps and websites that teachers in my PLN used successfully in the past during Hour of Code:"

"In episode four of the hottest elementary programming podcast until Vicky Sedgwick launches a podcast, Beyond the Hour of Code, The focus is on how programming can support learning for students who cannot yet read. There are an ever-expanding number of tools out there that use non-text elements to help students express themselves. Some of my favorites,Kodable  and ScratchJR, are talked about in this episode of Beyond the Hour of Code."