Anybody can learn to write computer code, according to the website code.org, and in celebration of Computer Science Week, Dec. 8 through 14, some Santa Maria-Bonita School District students are doing just that.
The students are participating in a program called the Hour of Code. It’s a project that empowers students to write computer code by learning how code creates and controls video games, animation, and visual programs. Activities and tutorials on code.org are being used by the students so they can self-guide themselves through the process and write at their own pace.
“All students from kindergartners to eighth graders, have the ability to write code,” said Sarah Outland, a Miller Elemetary School fifth-grade teacher and the chair of the district’s technology action team, in a statement. “The interactive lessons on the code.org website are tailored to the students’ age and experience. We really want to give our students the critical thinking skills they need to compete for the jobs of the 21st century, not just how to use computers, but how to build software.”
According to code.org, more than 59 million people have tried an Hour of Code, and through it students have written 3.4 billion lines of code. The Hour of Code is a global movement, according to hourofcode.com/us. One-hour tutorials are available in more than 30 languages.
The statement from Santa Maria-Bonita said the coding completed during Computer Science Week is just the beginning for its students, who will continue with coding lessons throughout the year.
Parents can try their own hand at coding by visiting hourofcode.com/us or code.org and clicking on the orange “Start” button on the homepage.
This article appears in Dec 11-18, 2014.
