More than an Hour of Code

Photo credit: Tynker.com Blog

Parsing the Code

As an elementary or secondary teacher, you may be intimidated by the mention of computer science. You know it's needed but it sounds like so many bits and bytes and can be overwhelming. It appears that in spite of the shyness towards "geeky" programming terms, there is a wave of growing interest in preparing students for 21st century jobs. More teachers than ever before will participate in the 2020 Hour of Code (HoC). Code.org, creators of this monumental event, claim it has already "engaged more than 15% of all students in the world." 

Our district digital coaches Sandra Naranjo and Kathleen Graham have an excellent summary called "CS ED WEEK" in their weekly "LUSD Bits and Bytes."  They highlight the Code.org livestream lessons. Sign up for "Codebytes" and let their staff lead the way. 

In preparing for HoC 2020 and Computer Science Education Week (#CSEdWeek) December 7-13, I got in touch with my friends at Tynker.com. Previously I have been featured in their blog as a Tynker Blue Ribbon Educator and hands-on innovator with students in grades TK-8. 

I spoke with Baxter Khan, Head of Education Partnerships with Tynker, and learned they have an inspiring set of resources to support teachers and students in HoC and beyond. In addition to the Tynker/Google Classroom integration for easy assignments and tracking, Tynker offers free automatic student certificates of completion. Baxter reminded me that on the Tynker.com blog post “Hour of Code 2020: Tynker’s Ready to Make it Great," these resources are also highlighted:

• Free tutorials for HoC
• Free HoC training webinars for teachers
• Prizes for classrooms, students
• Live coding with NASA

More to come

This week I will be collaborating with my awesome Mark Twain and Washington teachers to gather a list of recommended resources. Here is the link to our open collaborative document. Please feel free to add your own resource or idea.

Thanks!