Thursday, December 10, 2015

An Hour of Code

Do you CODE?  

Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and websites – they're all made with code. 




This week we participated, along with tens of MILLIONS of students, across over 180 countries in "Hour of Code"!  More than 100 million students have tried an "hour of code" and we are 22 of them!



Imagine... These kids are coding in over 40 different languages!



After watching this video introducing us to computer science, we were ready to jump in and try out coding as if we were computer programmers. We quickly realized that computers are only as smart as the humans behind them.  Our "aha moment" came when we realized that the computer (or robot) will only do exactly what you tell it to do. This coding business was challenging!




We started out with a fun activity where we instructed each other to color in squares on graph paper, in an effort to produce a specific design.  We used only codes to do this!  








We learned some coding vocabulary...

Algorithm -
A list of steps that you can follow to finish a task

Program -

An algorithm that has been coded into something that can 
be run by a machine 



Next, we did some pair programming with Mr. Kuehl and Mrs. Sheehan's third graders.  This was beyond exciting!  We wrote code for BB-8 from Star Wars and Steve from Minecraft on iPads and computers. To give it a try click here.
























The "Coding Queens" - These two were an amazing pair of programmers.  They took problem solving to a whole new level and took on the challenge of programming angles on "Frozen"


Now, I think this group is going to want MORE than an HOUR!  

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