Computer Science Education Week is happening now, December 7-13, and schools around the world are in! Hour of Code is one of the many ways to celebrate this introduction to coding. Register your school or class to participate and get on the map.
Why Participate?
Hour of Code has a mission of broadening the field of computer science to ensure that ALL students (especially girls and students of color) have experience with computer science and see themselves reflected in the field.
Coding encourages students to think critically, work on problem-solving skills and it encourages creativity. It also fits in with our November/December ISTE focus standard Computational Thinking.
With so many varieties of activities, there is one for every interest and every classroom. Hour of Code offers both computer-based activities and unplugged activities. Check out some of the current options and remember you can sort by grade level and topics.
Nearpod and BrainPOP
Nearpod and BrainPOP are also great ways to join in the Computer Science Education Week. Nearpod has several curated lessons from intro to coding by grade level to more social sciences based activities like “Why Are There So Few Women in Computer Science?”
BrainPOP has a coding activities available for much of their content. Middle School teachers all have access to BrainPOP and can incorporate it into your Canvas account. Check out some of the BrainPOP options.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Ed Tech Lead or Ed Tech TOSA for ideas and support!