BY NOAH CASTAGNA
The room comes alive with an anxious energy as students are dismissed to their computers, rushing off to bury their faces in their screens and begin work on their latest project: code.org’s Hour of Code had set in.
“The Hour of Code is a knowledge movement,” CCHS Junior Shaina Kaye said. “Understanding computer science is as necessary as being able to talk.”
Taking place during Computer Science Education Week (which, for 2016, runs from December 5th to December 11th), the Hour of Code started out as a free, one-hour introduction into programming open to all ages and levels. In recent years, it has expanded greatly, moving from basic online activities to service projects, with celebrities and even President Barack Obama getting involved.
To get started, visit https://hourofcode.com/us on a computer, phone, or tablet, and click Start. From there, filter based on your grade, experience level, technology, and the topics you’re interested in (topics range from science, math, social studies, and language arts to art, media, and music). Recommended topics include “Your First Webpage in an Hour!” for web development, “Programming Games in Scratch” for programming, and “Program VEX IQ Robots with Blockly” for robotics.
“The Hour of Code gives students a valuable preview into computer science,” CCHS Sophomore Neehal Hussein said. “It’s really fun.”
There are other ways to get involved with hands-on programming at Cooper: CCHS offers AP level classes in Computer Science (which cover a variety of Computer Science topics, from how the Internet works to program design) and is host to a Computer Science club which meets Tuesdays in Room 147.
But why should students learn how to code? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and National Science Foundation, by 2020, there will be one million more jobs in computer science than students entering the field, and even those not entering the computer science field will have to encounter and navigate the technology in some capacity.
“All students will have some future interface to a computer, and most students walk around with one in their pocket,” AP Computer Science Principles teacher and Computer Science club sponsor David Schultz said. “They should learn more about them.”
The Hour of Code is available in over 45 languages, has taken root in over 180 countries ranging from Oman to Iceland, and has served over 300 million new programmers worldwide. For more information on the Hour of Code and how to organize an event visit https://hourofcode.com/us.
