An Hour Can Change A Lifetime: 3 Reasons To Get Your Students Involved In Computer Science
Every year the Computer Science Education Week hosts The Hour of Code to introduce students to computer science and computer programming. This year’s Computer Science Education Week takes place between December 5th - 11th. We know your schedules are already packed full with winter break fast approaching and the idea of adding one more unit can be overwhelming, but this is a great opportunity to take a brief moment to highlight a skill that can positively impact all of your students.
We have highlighted the top three reasons why introducing your students to computer science is an excellent idea for this week (or year). We’re also sharing some insight into how computer science skills, such as coding, will have positive outcomes regardless of the subject you teach or your students’ individual career aspirations.
Programming Is The New Literacy
Learning to interact with and design digital tools is more important than ever for this generation of students. Programming is a foundational skill that will allow our students to be more successful in tomorrow’s workplace.
There are a plethora of different programming tools out there that make coding accessible to all age groups. Some of these programs include CodeMonkey, Pythonroom, Vidcode, and Itch. With these sites, programming is broken down into a level that is easy for students to grasp and also makes it fun so students will want to continue to learn (& that’s a definite bonus!).
Hones Problem Solving Skills
Computer science has direct applications to math and science, but it also builds problem solving skills that are transferable to all subjects. In order for a computer to run a program it has to fit within a certain set of rules. Working within these set of rules and understanding how computers work pushes the student’s logical thought process and ability to spot mistakes. These are skills that are used everyday in all content areas.
It Allows Students To Create
As teachers our goal is often to have students create, as this is an indication of mastery of a topic. The beautiful thing about coding is that students are constantly creating, as every line of code that they write is a specific solution to a problem that they have encountered. There are often multiple ways to find a solution so is also not always about students finding the “correct” answer. This also provides another opportunity for students that don't necessarily shine in other subjects to show their creativity.
If you do have an extra hour to spare with your students this week, we can not think of better way to spend it than on an Hour of Code.
