Have you heard about the Hour of Code? Last year, the Hour of Code was launched as a grassroots campaign to recruit ten million students to try their hand at computer science during National Computer Science Week. The idea behind it was to break stereotypes and to remove the veil of mystery that surrounds the field. The campaign supassed its goal in only a few days, and has now reached 47 million students worldwide.
We are thrilled to launch the EES Hour of Code in early December. This Hour of Code will coincide with National Computer Science Week, which kicks off on December 8. The main goal is to empower learners young and old to take their first steps toward learning computer science basics in a fun and accessible way!! Innovators like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are behind this national push to promote computer science. It is predicted that by 2020 there will be one million computing jobs without qualified applicants. Now is the time to expose our learners to the exciting possibilities of computer science and technology! We live in a digital age, but few know how to make it work. The Hour of Code is looking to break that cycle.
Please join me in supporting the students and staff as we chart our course for a coding adventure. Mr. Bodmer-Turner, technology teacher, will be working with students during thier computer class that week. He would appreciate having two parents per class to support this initiative. If you are interesting in helping, please email him directly. In addition, some teachers might be reaching out to you for classroom support. We are aiming to share our coding progress with the country at hashtag #HourofCode. I encourage the EES community to check out Code.org for more information about the importance of teaching computer science in our classrooms, and see the positive momentum this campaign has garnered.
In just one hour, we will align our compass for an engaging, meaningful exposure to computer science! And quite possibly, we may launch the coding wizards of the future!
