Hour of Code Screenshot
Dancer and software developer Miral Kotb explains how to use code to make animated characters dance in an Hour of Code tutorial. The Hour of Code is a worldwide event this week intended to draw students into coding. Numerous free tutorials are available on its website.
Three afternoons this week — Computer Science Education Week — students at Rocky Run Middle School in Fairfax County, Virginia, are gathering virtually to do fun coding activities.
They’re taking part in the Hour of Code, a worldwide event that encourages students to dip their toes into coding. It’s organized by the nonprofit code.org and a group of partners including Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Google and the Infosys Foundation.
Schools and organizations across the world are participating. More than 68,000 coding events in more than 180 countries are planned this year, according to code.org.
“A program like this is an awesome way to jumpstart students’ understanding and curiosity for coding,” said Shannon Campbell, after-school specialist at Rocky Run.
“It’s an easy commitment. They can come just one or two times [to the Rocky Run events] and it doesn’t matter what their skill level is.”
Two computer science teachers from Rocky Run will lead the online activities.
“We’re going to kick it off with … students talking about why they are interested in coding and how it helps them — and what’s cool about it,” said Pam Galietta, school-based tech specialist at Rocky Run. “Basically, then we will share some of the coding activities that are on the website specific to our age group.”
The Hour of Code website offers one-hour tutorials designed for all ages in more than 45 languages.
In one activity, for example, students take Subby the Submarine on a virtual underwater adventure and use coding to find things beneath the ocean. In another activity, they play, design and code a retro arcade game. Another activity involves creating an online dance party through code.
According to code.org, fewer than half of all U.S. schools teach computer science. That’s despite the fact that computer technology is reshaping every industry around the world — and changing the kinds of jobs available. Seven million U.S. job openings in 2015 were in occupations — including art and design — that value coding skills, according to code.org.
Girls as well as kids in marginalized racial and ethnic groups are less likely to get training for these jobs because they are underrepresented in computer science classes.
“The Hour of Code is a great chance for basically everyone to sort of try it and see if they like it and realize that it’s maybe not as hard as they think,” Galietta said.
Hour of Code was started in 2013, and Rocky Run has taken part after school for the past few years. The school of about 1,200 students in the Washington, District of Columbia suburbs has many after-school offerings, including clubs, enrichment activities, academic support and sports. In a normal year, at least 75% of students would stay to take part in after-school activities at some point, Campbell said.
Because of the pandemic, the school is operating virtually, with about 30% of students participating in online after-school activities, she said. Since activities are virtual, the school is partnering with four other middle schools in the area to do the Hour of Code online. Campbell expects about 100 students to participate.
