Invitation to Participate in Hour of Code 2015 – Dec.7-13

You are subscribed to General EdTech News. Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

 

---

Your school is invited to participate in the third annual Hour of Code campaign during Computer Science Education Week, December 7-13, 2015. Code.org is hosting this event to engage students, teachers, parents, and others (ages five and up, and of any experience level) in fun ways to experiment with programming and game creation. From structured lessons to more creative, exploratory activities, a variety of experiences make coding accessible to all kinds of learners. Activities can be done on computers, phones, and tablets, in pairs, or together as a whole group. If access to devices is an issue, various unplugged activities such as "My Robotic Friends" don’t require them.

Hour of Code Tutorials can be accessed at any time by anyone. If you are a parent and your child is not participating at school, you might consider learning an hour of code together as a family. Although some schools may choose to conduct schoolwide or community events, it’s also feasible to participate as a single class. Teachers don’t need to know anything about coding in advance.

New for 2015

• Know some Minecraft aficionados? This year, participants older than age six can use blocks of code to take characters Steve or Alex on an adventure through a Minecraft world.
• Tutorials for younger and older students let users maneuver old and new Star Wars characters like R2-D2, C3PO, Princess Leia, Rey, and BB-8 through various game actions and events.

Hour of Code Across Grade Levels and Content Areas

Coding activities aren't just a fit for math and computer science; they can also be a part of lessons and projects in English, social studies, science, art, and beyond. Students at the elementary level, even in kindergarten, can benefit from opportunities to practice computational thinking. Check out the following resources to explore sample activities:

• Teacher-Led Lesson Plans for Elementary, Middle, and High School in Various Subject Areas (Code.org)
• Hour of Code Suggestions by Grade Level (Ask a Tech Teacher, 2014)
• Coding for Kindergarteners (Edutopia, 2014)

After Hour of Code

Explore the following resources for ideas on how to make opportunities to code and exercise computational-thinking skills an integral part of classroom activities throughout the year.

• Life After Hour of Code (Edutopia, 2014)
• 15+ Ways of Teaching Every Student to Code (Even Without a Computer) (Edutopia, 2015)
• Coding for Kids Revisited (Edutopia, 2014)