The Hour of Code campaign has placed coding in the spotlight for area schools during Computer Science Education Week, which is held annually to inspire students in kindergarten through the 12th grade to take interest in computer science.
The Hour of Code began as a one-hour introduction to computer science and is designed to "demystify" coding. It has grown into a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with one-hour coding activities. The grassroots campaign is supported by more than 400 partners and 200,000 educators around the world.
The Computing in the Core coalition originally devised Computer Science Education Week to be held around the birthday of computing pioneer, Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. Code.org now organizes campaigns supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide.
Many schools have integrated activities from Code.org and HourofCode.com. Hot Springs School District families used code at various stations Thursday evening to find clues for the "Gardner's Great Escape" Family Night event at Gardner STEM Magnet School.
Third- and fourth-grade students conducted an hour of code this week in the technology lab. Students in Gardner's Environmental and Spatial Technologies program have been involved in coding activities throughout the year. The school's Girls' Coding Club has met since the beginning of the school year.
Cutter Morning Star Elementary School students in grades 2-6 worked on HourofCode.com. Activities include themes from popular movies and games.
"Students look through the list and pick the one they want to work on during their hour," said Beth McKinney, facilitator. "Once they finish the hour, they will get a printed certificate with their names on them.
"Our fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students are also getting an extra special treat this week, as well as the Hour of Code. They are getting to participate in an Escape Room from Breakout EDU. The theme of the escape room goes along with Computer Science as each puzzle they must solve or complete is a different coding type practice," she said.
Lake Hamilton Junior High computer science teacher Karma Turner hosted the Hour of Code all day Thursday in her classroom and the Lake Hamilton High School library media center. Students at the junior high teamed up with students at the elementary school on Wednesday for a coding project.
Lakeside High School students in Brad Launius' Computer Science class taught younger students in the other schools on campus about coding throughout the week. His Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles class will connect with a school in Pennsylvania today via an internet video call to teach code to elementary students.
Kristen White used online Nova Cybersecurity Lab activities from the Public Broadcasting Service with her sixth-grade gifted and talented class at Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy for students to learn how code can create barriers to keep companies safe. Other students at the school completed courses on HourofCode.com.
Bismarck Middle School students participated in coding activities throughout the week during enrichment activities and in their computer classes. Students visited Code.org to learn about coding and careers in computer science.
Students in Computer Technology Introduction at Centerpoint High School had the option of the Minecraft Adventurer Hour of Code or the Star Wars Hour of Code, which teaches them to use Blockly, a system which uses visual blocks to write programs. They created Javascript code for the activities.
"They truly enjoyed the experience and had fun competing to see who could get the farthest in the coding hour," said Centerpoint Superintendent Dan Breshears. "Overall, over half the class completed the Hour of Coding with 100 percent completion. The rest of the class came very close, but ran out of time. These activities are done with the middle school Computer Tech classes each year."
EAST students at Hot Springs Middle School taught HTML website coding this week to fifth- and sixth-grade students in the alternative learning environment program. All of the school's classes took part in coding activities Thursday and today.
Hot Springs World Class High School hosted an Hour of Code Wednesday afternoon in the computer labs. Students at Hot Springs Intermediate School worked on Code.org throughout the week.
Students in grades 2-4 at Langston Aerospace and Environmental Studies Magnet School learned how coding will be an effective tool to prepare them for futures in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Langston's kindergarten and first-grade classes participated in an activity with Codable for age appropriate coding skills.
Jessieville Elementary School computer lab instructor Judy Speers helped students use Learning Resources Code and Go Robot Mouse Activity Set. Students gained hands-on experience programming and spent time on Code.org. Others in DeAnn Bliss' classes at the middle school and high school used programs on Code.org.
Computer Science Education Week allowed several schools to continue programs and initiatives they have pushed throughout the semester. Magnet Cove Elementary School students have worked with Lee Eskola, library media specialist, on activities from Code.org for the past several weeks.
Centerpoint Middle School used Code.org activities during Enrichment period through the second nine weeks.
"This course work continues to build on itself from lesson to lesson," said Principal Davey Jones. "Some have been going home and coding so they can get/stay ahead of others. They have a little bit of competition going due to rewards given by Mrs. (Michelle) Mounts and Mrs. (Nikki) Tate and they just flat out like competition.
"They love the Minecraft coding and Angry Birds. The teachers can monitor their progress so they can see how the students are progressing and to what level."
Oaklawn Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School students used new tools purchased with a coding grant. Tracy Nelson and Jessica Jeffers received $2,500 to buy Osmo, Ollie, Bee Bot, Blue Bot, Bloxels and more.
"With these gadgets, our students are learning 21st century skills," said Doug Upshaw, associate superintendent of administrative services. "They are also creating, building and designing in a way that fits their learning style.
"In addition to our hands on gadgets, Mr. Brandon Nichols, an information technology specialist from Lake Hamilton School District, joined our fourth-grade students to teach them about his career. He showed them the parts of a computer and what they do, and he also taught Ms. Leigh Bradley's class a Minecraft coding lesson. All of these lessons were a perfect way to celebrate Computer Science Education Week," he said.
Local on 12/09/2016