Hour of Code

December 10, 2014

Author 7

The hour of code is an event led by code.org to encourage people to try coding. The hour of code was started by code.org and is supported by Apple, Mircrosoft, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and College Board.

The hour of code is a one hour introduction to code, you do not need to have any experience with coding to participate. There are also activities you can participate in that don’t need a computer. The people at code academy believe that everybody should get an opportunity to learn computer science because of its impending role in the future.

Last year, 15 million students participated in the hour of code. It was the fastest website to reach 15 million users, far ahead of sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

“There isn’t a guaranteed way to get kids exposed to computer science and such it is a big part of our world it is important for people to know how they work and if they like it or not” said Computer Science Teacher Donna Harrington.

Ms. Harrington tried to get the whole school to do the hour of code last year but there wasn’t a good way to incorporate it into the curriculum. This year they are having advisories do some of the challenges through the week.

Questions for Donna:

What made you want to have everyone in the school participate in the hour of code?

There isn’t a guaranteed way to get exposure to cs and a computer is a big part of the world so its important for people to know how they work so its good for them to get exposure to see if they like it.

What is your goal with the hour of code?

Wanted the entire school to do it. 5th and 6th grade math teachers were gonna do it. there wasn’t really a way to incorporate it into high school except for advisory.

How did you hear about the hour of code?

It was probably it was through the computer science teachers association’s meetings, a group of people who get together once a month to discuss ideas.