The Importance of Coding with our Kids-Celebrating Computer Science Education Week Dec. 9-15 Vol 6
Our Posterity = Our Children
Enhancing our children's S.T.E.A.M education is imperative to their success and will help them become innovators of the future.
S.T.E.A.M stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.
Computer programming falls in line with these concepts because learning to code will help children improve their:
Creativity
Critical Thinking
Independent Thinking
Brainstorming
Problem solving
Teamwork
Computer Science Education week
CSEd week was established to bring awareness to the the importance of Computer Science Education. It began in 2009 with the goal of integrating computer science and other STEM principles into the K-12 education core curriculum. In 2013, Code.org was the organizer of the event and structured that week around a new theme, "Hour of Code." It reached over 15 million students and produced over 35,000 events across 67 countries.
According to the CSEd week website, two years later, The Hour of Code reached 100 million "hours served" making the Hour of Code and Computer Science Education Week the largest education campaign in history.
Programming then:
Programming now:
The dates decided to hold CSED week was in recognition of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper's birthday (December 9, 1906). Hopper was an American computer scientist and United States Rear Admiral.
Achievements
Worked on the Mark I, a computer used in the war effort in the last part of WWII.
One of the first programmers to invent a program that converted English terms into machine code.
Awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1991
Awarded the National Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian award in the U.S) award after her death in 1992.
Science
Technology
Engineering Let's Code
Art
Math
Our children don't need a computer to learn how to code. Below are a list of unplugged" activities from Code.org that allow students to step away from a screen and still be able to sharpen their computer programming skills!
Conditionals with Cards
Even though your children may not understand the work conditionals, they will understand the idea of using if to make sure something happens when it should.
Materials
Deck of playing cards
Pencil and paper
In this activity your students will practice using algorithm to explain how to play a game of dice!
Materials
Pair of Dice
Paper and Pencil
Students will code their name using binary code and create a fun bracelet to wear!
Materials
wooden beads
string or jewelry wire
jewelry clasps
Students will create their own binary alphabet to encode an image that will be decoded by their partner
Materials
Pencil or colored pencils
worksheet provided on website
For more "unplugged" activities visit Code.org or Hour of Code.com !
#STEAM is our Approach
#LEARNING is our Goal We are Bright & Smart
