Join the Hour of Code!
Did you know that computer science is a top paying college degree and computer programming jobs are growing at two times the national average? Yep, it has been projected that by the year 2020 there will 1,000,000 more jobs than there are students to fill them!
And that’s because although we live in a world surrounded by technology, only a small fraction of us learn computer science, the basics of how computers work, or how to create software, apps or web sites. Computer Science provides a foundation for virtually any career and everybody can benefit from learning the basics.
So, as an educator, what can you do to help address this issue? For starters, you can join the Hour of Code—an initiative supported by Code.org that encourages schools and teachers across the world to help introduce students of all ages to computer programming during Computer Science Education Week, December 9-15, 2013.
Classroom Connection:
The founders of Google, Microsoft and Facebook all started their journeys with just one line of code. Like these successful entrepreneurs, our students should have the opportunity to create the technology of the future, not just use it! That said, join over five million students in 33,000 classrooms across 167 countries as they venture into the language of coding by participating in the Hour of Code.
Not only does coding help students learn problem solving and creative thinking skills, it teaches them to be risk-takers, persistent and to persevere in the face of frustration—skills that are relevant in all sorts of other activities in both school and the “real world”.
And by the way—I realize that coding sounds intimidating to some, but the activities on the Code.org site require no computer programming skills at all. If your students can type, they can code! And you can learn, too!