Did you know that December 3rd – 9th is Computer Science Education week? In both technology and STREAM classes this week we have been working on coding with the Hour of Code coding challenges. Hour of code challenges introduce students to age appropriate computer programming fundamentals, starting at Kindergarten and going up from there. At the earliest levels you are starting with image based challenges, and then moving to Block coding. Our youngest students began with solving puzzles while learning the mouse and keyboard, and then moved up to solving puzzles with direction arrow instructions and Block code.
Some of the older students have begun by programming their first video game, by using block code to customize Flappy Bird. Other classes did the Minecraft coding challenges. What is great about these challenges is that they start out simply, they follow a similar structure, and they get difficult towards the end to challenge the student. Another aspect which we teach when doing coding challenges is team collaboration. If you finish a challenge early, and you understand it, you are encouraged to help the student next to you so you all can complete the challenge. Teaching someone else is a great way to make sure you understand the concepts and reinforce the learning.
Overall, students have enjoyed the coding challenges during Computer Science Education week. We also talked about how computers impact our lives in many different ways, and there is a good chance the jobs that our students will have in the future will involve computers and software. These challenges are a great way to learn how to think like a computer scientist and we will continue to do these throughout the year.
Coding with the Hour of Code for CS Education Week
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