The Hour of Code™ is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. With a huge groundswell of support and attention, it’s an ideal time for schools and districts to put the spotlight on computer science programs and expand opportunities. The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning event, celebration, and awareness event. HourOfCode.com offers hundreds of one-hour activities in over 48 languages for kindergarten and up. Activities require no experience and can be run on browsers, tablets, and smartphones - some don’t require any computer at all.
Why computer science?
Computer science is changing every industry on the planet. Every 21st-century student should have the opportunity to learn how to create technology. Computer science concepts also help nurture creativity and problem-solving skills to prepare students for any future career with computing occupations the fastest-growing, best paying, and now the largest sector of all new wages in the US. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. Students also love it! Recent surveys show that among classes students “like a lot,” computer science and engineering rank near the top—only performing arts, art, and design are higher.
Through ChangeX, you can receive some grant funding to help host an Hour of Code in your school or community and also take steps to go beyond an Hour of Code to embed computer science in your curriculum. Register here to get started.
The Hour of Code™ is a nationwide initiative by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming. With a huge groundswell of support and attention, it’s an ideal time for schools and districts to put the spotlight on computer science programs and expand opportunities. The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning event, celebration, and awareness event. HourOfCode.com offers hundreds of one-hour activities in over 48 languages for kindergarten and up. Activities require no experience and can be run on browsers, tablets, and smartphones - some don’t require any computer at all.
Why computer science?
Computer science is changing every industry on the planet. Every 21st-century student should have the opportunity to learn how to create technology. Computer science concepts also help nurture creativity and problem-solving skills to prepare students for any future career with computing occupations the fastest-growing, best paying, and now the largest sector of all new wages in the US. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed. Students also love it! Recent surveys show that among classes students “like a lot,” computer science and engineering rank near the top—only performing arts, art, and design are higher.
Through ChangeX, you can receive some grant funding to help host an Hour of Code in your school or community and also take steps to go beyond an Hour of Code to embed computer science in your curriculum. Register here to get started.
The One Hour of Code was successful. The library reported a high interest in registrants. Since the One Hour of Code it created an opportunity for us to host an afterschool club called Digital Club for Kids for youth ages 7-10. The club meets the first Saturday of every month. With the grant money we were able to receive training from Dawn Carrera & Co Media LLC doing business as Create Tech Labs. With this training we are learning how to incorporate coding with robotics. We also were able to purchase two robotics that we can use with coding. We were also able to pay a consultant to teach two coding classes who has a background in technology.
Action plan:
Timeline:
We will have one hour of code on Saturday, September 9, 2023, at 12 noon. It will be for youth ages 7-10 within our community.
We had our kick-off meeting on Monday, August 7, 2023. We had 5 participants. We will have our next meeting on Saturday, August 12, 2023, at 11am, to discuss the coding lesson chosen that will be implemented during the One Hour of Code. The last meeting will be Friday, August 25, 2023, to finalize details before Labor Day Break. The time for that meeting will be determined.
Budget:
We are going to purchase 2 Mini Sphero robots to use during class with youth. It will cost approximately $130. We will also participate in training to learn how to teach robotics which will cost approximately $200. Ipad mini for $100 to control robots. The remaining funding will be used for software and other equipment.
Impact:
There are various coding classes, but many of these training courses have a tuition fee making it not affordable for some families. We would like to offer our One Hour of Code in a public setting that is easily accessible and where finances are not an issue, such as the library.
Our targeted goal is to have between 8-10 kids participating in the first class. We have designed a flyer that will be advertised at the local library. We also plan to advertise on Eventbrite and through email contacts. Each team member will also advertise on their social media platforms. We also plan on conducting a mini survey or poll with the families that will participate to see what we can do differently in the future.
Overall, we want to increase interest in coding and robotics for at-risk youth in the Claymont/Wilmington, Delaware area.
Location:
We formulated a partnership with Claymont Library to host One Hour of Code at their location on Saturday, September 9, 2023. The class will meet at 12 noon. Our goal is to start off with One Hour of Code and lead into a Digital Club for Kids that meets the first Saturday of every month for an hour. We have already received approval for these meetings from Claymont Library.
Our youth leader is playing a vital role in the formation of this plan. Our kid leader helps select the lesson plan that will be taught. She selected from various lessons on Scratch software program that she thought would be interesting and keep the youth engaged. Our kid leader will also help co-teach One Hour of Code. She will show the class a certain segment of the lesson plan.
We will foster youth involvement by having them choose between two topics what the next lesson plan will be for next class. Youth will also learn to work in group projects together, serving as teacher assistants, and doing a public demonstration of what they worked on at the end of class.