Algoma District School Board students are being offered an opportunity through the Sault Ste Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) to take part in a global movement called Hour of Code whereby students try their hand at computer science for one hour.
“The Hour of Code is designed to demystify code and show that computer science is not rocket-science – that anybody can learn the basics,” according to the founder and CEO of code.org Hadi Partovi.
All area elementary and high schools and teachers are being encouraged to take part as a classroom activity. The Hour of Code is not just a local movement, but a global movement reaching 15 million students across Canada and the United States last year alone. This year, Hour of Code coincides with Computer Science Education Week which runs December 8th through the 14th.
The activities and tutorials are easy and fun and link in themes from popular media including the game Angry Birds. Superintendent Joe Maurice previewed an activity with Trustees that is based off the popular Disney movie “Frozen”.
Students are encouraged to think about things in their everyday lives that use computer science – a cell phone, a microwave, a computer, a traffic light – and to come to realize that all of these things needed a computer scientist to help build them. In today’s economy, computing jobs outnumber students graduating in the field by 3-to-1. Through the Hour of Code initiative students can be taught critical 21st century skills, and can be at the forefront of creating technology for the future – as opposed to simply consuming it.
Algoma District School Board’s Director Lucia Reece supports the Hour of Code event. “This is a wonderful way to engage our students in an aspect of technology that they might not realize is explorative, exciting and even a possible career choice. The widespread, global participation in this event is also a great way to remind our students of the power of technology to connect them to the world. We hope to have students from across our district participating.”
