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Alie Partovi, Amazon, Angela Bassett, Ashton Kutcher, code.org, computer education, Computer Programming, computer science, Computer Science Education Week, Computer Society, education, fembot, Google, Hadi Partovi, hour of code, how-to code, interactive modules, Learn code, Mark Zuckerberg, McKinley Technology Education Campus, Microsoft, MyFemBot, Patricia Edwards, play in the code, programming, Shakira, STEAM, STEM, technology, Tiffany Norwood
Hour of Code is an initiative from Code.org to transform the world through programming. In just one hour you can get a taste of coding with easy to use tutorials created by well known techies. Founders and twins Alie and Hadi Partovi raised $10 million dollars to pursue their dream of STEM for everyone. And with big supporters like Mark Zuckerberg, Angela Bassett, Ashton Kutcher and Shakira, more than 10 million participated in the national Hour of Code challenge, during Computer Science Education Week (CSEd) in December.
Patricia Edwards, of the Computer Society, a big supporter of Hour of Code, hosted a CSEd Week- Lunch N Learn Computer Science Carnival at Mckinley Technology Education Campus. Nearly 900 students celebrated computer science during their lunch hours. The modules were set-up on laptops provided by Microsoft, AthleTECH and the IEEE Computer Society. There was also participation from the National Science Foundation, DC United, First Robotics (FRC) and Northrop Grumman Corporate Citizenship. With this level of support it is hoped to become an annual event!
“ Ultimately, Hour of Code is an initiative designed to let people of all ages and educational backgrounds know that ‘Anyone can learn to code!’ Through interactive learning modules, participants in the initiative have an opportunity to see that there is a universal language – Computer Programming – that once understood, introduces a new way of looking at computer science and how it affects our daily lives. When students walked up and were able to see modules designed by Mark Zuckerberg, and Google with Angry Bird skins they were immediately captivated and wanted to learn more,” says Ms. Edwards.
“We have fully integrated into the digital age,” she says. “ Many students already use a multitude of mobile devices for up to 90% of their daily communication. Computer programming as a language should be just as integrated into the K-12 curriculum as the emphasis of other foreign languages like Spanish, French, or Chinese. We must fully equip our youth with the tools necessary to function in tomorrow’s future, today. Every child should have an opportunity to learn how to code!”
‘Hour of Code’ is a year-round initiative with fully interactive modules and additional lesson plans on the site so it’s never too late to COME PLAY IN THE CODE. See Code.org/ educate for more info.
More:
CSEdWeek is an initiative put together by the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) and includes a multitude of partners including IEEE Computer Society and Code.org to demonstrate the importance of the introduction of Computer Science education curriculum to students in grades K-12.
Related Articles:
Code.org’s Incredible Year One! http://codeorg.tumblr.com/post/73414288834/2013update
President Obama asks America to learn computer science https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XvmhE1J9PY
Teach an Hour of Code to your students http://code.org/educate
The real reason there aren’t more women in tech http://codeorg.tumblr.com/post/71933359496/women