The Hour of Code allows anyone to try out coding for the first time by teaching the basics of computer programming in just sixty minutes.
Earlier this year many teachers tried the UK Hour of Code to build their own confidence and to excite young people and parents. Incredibly, over 3 million people in the UK have tried it. The organisers (e-Skills UK) are now running the campaign globally the week of December 8 to 12. They say:
The Hour of Code website
We would love if you could join in helping to spread the word again and encourage anyone that week to take the first tutorial which sees Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft’s Bill Gates team up and help learners to program their very own Angry Bird. It's free, easy and no download is required.
Nicki Cooper, Subject Leader of Computing at Northfeelt School for Girls is one such teacher who says:
We had a fantastic experience running the Hour of Code in March for a week. Not only did every key stage 3 student take part within their Computing lessons but we also got staff and parents involved too. We had lots of fabulous feedback and the children particularly enjoyed making Flappy Birds on the big touchscreen every lunch time! I feel the experience really helped to raise the profile of my subject across the school and gave students an understanding of just how much coding is used in the real world.
The organisers hope that through an Hour of Code more teachers and students can have the same experience, and have a rich set of resources to help you should you need them. They go on to say:
We have made it fun and visual for teachers and students so that when teachers sign up on http://hourofcode.com/uk they will see their school on the world map next to all the other schools participating and you’ll be able to see which schools in your network have signed up . We are also giving out 10GB of free Dropbox space as a thank you to every organizer of an Hour of Code.”
Everyone completing an Hour of Code will also receive a signed certificate.
Here’s the link: Hour of Code, UK
cross-posted at www.ictineducation.org
Terry Freedman is an independent educational ICT consultant with over 35 years of experience in education. He publishes the ICT in Education website and the newsletter “Digital Education."
