This Monday, schools throughout the world, including District 91, participated in the Hour of Code program using code.org. The program introduces students to computer coding using games.
At Betsy Ross, kindergarten through second grade students were able to write code to make various games work, including the very popular Minecraft, Star Wars, and Angry Birds games. The “code” didn’t take the form of 1’s and 0’s, but was based on placing directions in a specific sequence to make elements of the game move. Before working on their code, students watched short, informational videos from real video game code writers.
In kindergarten, students worked as a whole class to come up with their codes. In first grade, small groups worked together, and in second, partners worked as teams. Students had to work using their logic, as well as some trial and error. Because the activities were so engaging, and they had the support of their classmates, students worked through some frustration and failed attempts to come up with the right codes for their games.
If you are interested in what the children were working on, visit code.org to see (and try) for yourself!
