ImplementIng the hour of Code ™ : StorIeS of InSpIratIon for equItable aCCeSS
By Kathleen Schofield and Laylah Bulman Design by Rachael Schofield
The Hour of Code ™ Is a nation wide initiative by computer science education week CSEDweek.org and Code.org to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programing.
Photos and stories used with permission of Addison Davis, Superintendent, Clay County District Schools, Florida.
Book designed by Rachael Schofield.
Copyright © 2019 by Schofield, Bulman, and Schofield.
All rights reserved.
https://code.org/minecraft
table of ContentS
prefaCe ……………………………………………………………… I
What Can I do In an hour ………………………………...1
our plan and our journey ……………………………..2
everyone Can partICIpate!.... ………………………...….3
oh the plaCeS you WIll Code …………………………..4
everyone Can fInd an hour …………………………...11
What doeS It look lIke …………………………………….13
CodIng unplugged …………………………………………..14
CodIng on - lIne ………………………………………………..15
CodIng WIth robotS ………………………………………..16
outComeS ………………………………………………………...17
We are In! SIgn uS up! What do I do?....................18
We partICIpated! What next?.....................................19
prefaCe We ’ ve all heard it said that it takes just one voice to change the world! But how many people believe that? And how many believe that just one voice can start something that will impact millions, literally. We have seen the impact that one person ’ s voice has made to change the world. Noticing the struggle that tech companies were having to fill jobs in their businesses, especially computer science jobs, Hadi Partovi made an observation. Hadi thought, “ If I could get kids to try coding for just an hour, they ’ d be hooked. ” Hadi took his thought and turned it into a vision, and his voice has been the driving force to change the world of computer science education. And thanks to Hadi ’ s voice, coupled with his vision and voices of countless others, the world is changing. Thanks to the Hour of Code ™. North Florida is changing, as well. There was a time, not too long ago, when educators did not know about the importance of teaching coding, and there were only a few computer science classes being offered anywhere in our region. Students simply didn ’ t have the opportunity to even try coding. Thanks to the effort of Code.org and the Hour of Code ™, that has now changed. Worldwide, over 800,000,000 students have now had at least an introductory experience with coding. Reaching this staggering number of students took perseverance and determination. It began with awareness and a few committed individuals who decided it would be important for all children to get to experience computer science through coding. This led Code.org to develop curriculum pathways, beginning in elementary school with computer science fundamentals. As demand grew, there was a need to build upon this foundation and bring computer science classes into middle schools and high schools. Code.org developed a middle school program, Computer Science Discoveries, and a high school program, Computer Science Principles. And all this curriculum is available freely across the world. Many organizations have come together to work towards the promise of equitable access for everyone. Here in Florida, through the tireless work of Gary Chartrand, former member of the state board of education, and the remarkable founder of our STEM2 Hub, we now have computer science standards for our state. On the pages that follow, we will share the story of how one district in Northeast Florida came together to celebrate Computer Science Education Week in a big way, and implemented a district - wide Hour of Code ™. We hope our story will excite and inspire you and that an aspect of our blueprint will resonate with you and inspire you to action! I
What Can I do In an hour?
Just imagine … A student has entered kindergarten in a Florida public school last year. By the time she graduates high school in 2030, it is projected that 65% of the jobs that exist today will be gone! Florida is projected to have over 2 million new jobs, but these 2 million new jobs will be very different from those in existence today and will require students to have a different set of skills. Technology is driving change in the workplace as we know it today. The development of disruptive technologies is driving automation through robotics, 3D printing, digitalization, and furthering the advancement of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. The ability to access and analyze information, work with large sets of data, think critically, and apply knowledge to solve unique problems will be essential. How will we prepare our students to thrive in this future workplace? Who will teach them? It is critically important, for the continued economic development and the prosperity of Florida, that we can attract business and industry to our state and be responsive to the shifting landscape. To do so, we must assure the development of a pipeline filled with career - ready STEM graduates prepared to adapt to the needs of a dynamic and changing economy and workplace. Computer science is the literacy of the future economy. There are few sectors of the Florida economy that are not touched by computer science. Aerospace and aviation, health care and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and distribution, as well as financial and professional services are five of Florida ’ s targeted industry clusters which are experiencing growth. To be successful in any of these industries, all students must have strong digital skills as well as solid communication, critical thinking, logic, analytical, and problem - solving abilities. But there is a problem. A senior leader of the Jacksonville CIO Council stated, “ I was surprised when the Dean of a local college of computer science told me about the fallout rate from Intro to Programming in freshman year. It is unacceptable to me that we lose IT workforce candidates in the 1 st year of college due to not having the basics of logic to pass an intro programing class". In many places, coding is not being introduced to students early enough, and most high schools still do not offer a full, robust pathway of computer science courses that lead beyond the basics to careers. Computational thinking skills, a critical foundation to computer and data science, are not being mastered at an early enough age. Let ’ s begin with just an hour … Let ’ s commit to an Hour of Code ™! 1
our plan and our journey
It starts with collaboration and leadership. The Clay County District Schools are led by Superintendent Addison Davis. Superintendent Davis believes that we are doing a disservice to our students if we do not provide them with
opportunities to experience coding and robotics, not only in after school clubs, but during the school day. He believes that all students need to be developing critical 21 st century skills, not just in middle and high school, but that this kind of learning needs to begin in the kindergarten classrooms, and continue all throughout the elementary school journey. In collaboration with the Northeast Florida Regional STEM2 Hub and Lego Education, a system changing plan was developed to bring access to all students by empowering his leaders. Davis felt that this work was so important that he convened a training for all of his cabinet and his 42 school principals to attend a full day of STEM training. The administrators spent an entire day off campus, building LEGO robots and learning to code! At the end of the day, Davis challenged his leadership to assure that EVERY school participated in the 2018 Hour of Code ™. He further challenged these leaders to go for 100% student participation. “ Devise a plan and make it happen ”, he said. He further raised the bar by asking each administrator to participate and code with their students, and then share their action plan and pictures. The administrators went back to their schools, formed a team, and devised plans and then implemented those plans. In the pages to follow, we will share stories of how schools implemented an Hour of Code ™ in many settings with various master schedules in place. 2
everyone Can partICIpate!
Elementary Schools We found that the elementary school campus had many different and interesting ways to schedule an Hour of Code ™ event. In most cases, it was not necessary to change the daily schedule to allow for the infusion of the Hour of Code ™. Many of the schools in the district repurposed resource time, or “ specials ” to be utilized for the Hour of Code ™. Some would expect that the technology labs were used to bring Hour of Code ™ to students, and they certainly were, but there was so much more since there was a goal to reach every student.
Secondary Schools
What do you mean, EVERYONE, not just the STEM kids?
High School Principal, Thomas Pittman, codes with Minecraft. It is important for all students to be exposed to computer science and coding because technology is wrapped around just about every career.
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oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
Leading by example In each of the schools, the principal was also charged with the role of modeling the expected behavior by coding with the students. Individual administrators chose the way that was most comfortable to carry out. Regardless of the method, every one of the administrators in the district participated. Some read a book about coding to classes, others visited classrooms and taught a coding lesson. Some made use of closed - circuit television, and the morning news to broadcast, reaching all the students. Others led a campus - wide event, serving as the cheer leader for the students, blazing a trail into the future!
Even the Youngest Students Code! “ We utilized our Media resource to introduce all students to the hour of code ™. Students in VPK, Kindergarteners, and first graders also created a coding hopscotch activity. All students used the Chromebooks in the media center to code. ” Swimming Pen Creek Elementary School
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oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
Coding in the administrative suite
During National Computer Science Education Week, students were found working on the Hour of Code ™ just about everywhere in the building! Students at Middleburg Elementary School visited the office and grabbed a corner of the floor to sit and code with the school administrative team! These administrators, Mrs. Wilkerson and Mrs. Wright, jumped right in and did not miss the opportunity to support their students on their pathway toward acquiring the skills needed for the jobs of the future! Wright reported, “ Our resource team used their PLC time to plan Hour of Code ™ activities to be integrated into the students' daily resource classes EVERY day of the week that week. In addition, classroom teachers planned additional coding lessons in their classrooms for 20 minutes each day. Classroom teachers integrated coding into their math and science blocks. Administrators participated in coding activities with students in their resource classes including Dance Party and the creation of a video game Dungeon Escape. Students taught the administrators how to code for the dance party and Dungeon Escape game and then administration tried their coding skills, ending with administrators and students dancing along with their characters created through coding on their computers. ” 5
oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
Coding in the resource block
In the elementary school schedule, students visit the classroom of another teacher who gives them an enrichment opportunity. Common resource classes include physical education, music, art, drama, library/media, health, technology, and now even STEM.
There were several different approaches used by those implementing the Hour of Code ™ on the resource wheel. At many of the schools, the entire resource team met and planned together. In these cases, students participated in Hour of Code ™ on multiple days in several contexts as they visited resource each day. These schools provided some of the most empowering opportunities for students to approach coding and creativity through multiple lenses and provided some of the most
varied experiences. Students typically visit one resource each day on a rotational basis. At some schools, there is a resource block on two or three of the days each week, and no resource on other days. This type of schedule allows the teachers, including the resource teachers, to have common planning time.
There were many ways that teachers worked together to bring coding to their students.
“ Computer science is not just for smart ‘ nerds ’ in hoodies coding in basements. Coding is extremely creative and is an integral part of almost every industry ” Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code
6
oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
One of the most innovative and interesting spaces to do the Hour of Code ™ was in the gym.
Mrs. Sanders, the principal of Keystone Heights Elementary School, a rural school in Clay County, met with resource teachers before Computer Science Education Week to discuss how coding could be incorporated into all resource classes. “ Most of our 823 students had 4 - 6 opportunities to code through the week ”, said Mrs. Sanders. “ Ms. Ochoa, our technology teacher, sent the resource team examples of activities, including "unplugged" coding tasks ”. Ms. Ochoa and Mrs. Sanders communicated through email and the weekly
newsletter to the entire faculty and staff about Computer Science Education week and shared resources. Every resource (with the exception of music who was practicing for their winter concert) participated in the Hour of Code ™. In the technology class, students used the Hour of Code ™ website and the "Dance Party" for all grade levels and sent home coding "homework" so that parents could learn to code at home with their students. The art teacher taught students about coding through the use of tangrams and algorithms (from the code.org site) and wrapped each lesson up with a mosaic pixel art activity using coding to complete an image. Art is rich of opportunity to connect to computer science. Tessellations and repeating patterns, ripe for analysis, present a colorful way to engage the artistic students in the study of computer science. Both plugged (work done on a computer) and unplugged (work done without a computer) opportunities exist. Digital design, app building, and game creation are just a few of the projects possible through the art classroom. The Media specialist facilitated student tasks with Lego Robots, Ozbots, pixel coding, and coding to make it through a maze. The STEM teacher taught a whole group lesson about the use of coding in the function of computers and ended each lesson with an "unplugged" input/ output coding task. In PE, students worked in pairs to write code in order to complete an obstacle course. Mrs. Sanders read coding books from the library to our younger students and had guest "coding experts" teach her more about coding. Several teachers took their classes to the lab for additional Hour of Code ™ time and others incorporated coding into their lessons and homework. 7
oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
Coding in the core content classroom
Math presents an obvious “ first place ” to infuse computer science in the elementary school, since the vocabulary is just about synonymous! Algorithms, functions, debugging, and binary are all terms that a math student would be familiar with. Science is also another clear place to infuse computer science, especially in the area of nature of science. The critical thinking and experimentation that students engage with when designing a digital project help them develop the habits of mind required for science. Even aspects of the physics of computing can be explored in a science classroom.
Some principals even decided to implement hour of code ™ “ school wide ” on a given day at
a certain time and host a community event. At Lake Asbury Junior High all core content classes open their doors to show how coding is applied in every subject. Community members, business leaders, and government officials stopped in to code with students. Some schools build blocks of time into the master schedule to accommodate special events which allows students to have extra STEM experiences in their day. At Discovery Oaks, WOW Wednesday was used for the school wide hour of code ™. “ As a STEAM school, we embed computer science standards and coding lessons throughout multiple subjects all year round. Our resource teachers are especially effective at making coding cross curricular. All students in K - 6 learn coding through various LEGO robots. With our WOW Wednesday schedule, we have implemented going beyond the Hour of Code ™ and having all students complete their grade appropriate coding course in Code.org, ” reported Tracey McLaughlin, school principal. 8
oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
“ EVERY student in our school participated. We held the Hour of Code ™ on Thursday from 9 - 10 for our primary grades and from 1:30 - 2:30 for our intermediate. The Media Specialist sent instructions for teachers to guide students in selecting coding activities on Code.org Hour of Code ™. Most students worked for the entire hour to create a digital dance party. Those that finished their code were able to email either the Assistant Principal or me and we responded with praise and encouragement. Additionally, students coded all throughout the week during resource classes for another push into this arena. During the coding activities, both administrators went from room to room to take pictures and engage with students. Everyone had a wonderful time! ” Ridgeview Elementary School, Orange Park, Florida
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oh the plaCeS you WIll Code
Coding in the media center across the district
“ Students have been receiving lessons on coding in the Media Center. Those lessons were expanded, and students received certificates for participating in the Hour of Code ™. We had a dance party and students created video games using coding. In the primary grades, teachers taught lessons on coding and the "science" behind computers and how they work. We are not a one to one school, but all students (except VPK and K) were exposed to some type of computer science during this week. This will continue throughout the school year. We also shared stories on our school news show. ” Sh adownlawn Elementary, Green Cove Springs, Florida
Many media centers are rich with robotics equipment and other ways for students to get involved with computer science!
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everyone Can fInd an hour
Secondary Schools It is easy to see how elementary schools were able to incorporate the Hour of Code ™ through the library or media center, but this strategy proved highly impactful in this space in middle schools, junior high schools and high schools. Middle School and Junior High School settings can present some challenges, but none that cannot be overcome. Unlike in elementary schools, most secondary teachers are not generalists who are trained across the content area. Asking everyone to participate definitely moved many secondary teachers out of their comfort zones. But by providing resources, teachers knew where to go to learn about coding and why it is so important. At Wilkinson Junior High School, Christina Cornwell, school principal, sent out "How To"" documents and videos to the teachers so that they felt comfortable with their students doing Hour of Code ™ in their classes. This gave teachers flexibility for when to introduce the lesson. “ To help teachers see connections, we provided teachers with several examples that could relate to their specific subject area, so that students could come away from the week with more than an just one hour of coding under their belt, ” Cornwell reported. In many cases, students at this school had coding experiences in all six of their classes, giving the potential for six or more hours of Coding experiences. Since the junior high schools in the district are offering computer science classes, including Computer Science Discoveries, a Code.org course, students studying computer science were permitted to visit classrooms and team with a teacher as a “ Guest Student Coder ” to help and support students and teachers who were coding for the first time. These arrangements for the students in the computer science classes helped to empower the teachers to implement the Hour of Code ™ lessons. Just as in elementary school, secondary students enjoyed receiving recognition for participating in the Hour of Code ™ through the presentation of a certificate. With so many activities, courses, and demands in the day, how could it be possible for all students in a high school to have a chance to code? Various strategies were implemented in the high schools to reach as many learners as possible. High school was the area that faced the greatest challenges, but lessons learned from this experience has empowered Superintendent Davis to set the goal even higher for this upcoming year. “ We will learn from our experiences and use what we learned to tweak our approach with a goal of reaching every student, ” Davis stated. 11
everyone Can fInd an hour
Secondary Schools
What do you mean, EVERYONE, not just the STEM kids?
Most high schools worked through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers, bringing Hour of Code ™ into classes in all periods. Many participated in all periods using the Learning Blade, a career exploration online platform. Learning Blade created a special Computer Science challenge for the week, allowing students to learn about dozens of careers while learning to code. In addition, through all of the school computer labs, most of the students who were not enrolled in a CTE class participated, and the school librarian advertised the Hour of Code ™, and had students sign up to participate during activity blocks, such as Power Hour, Tribe Time, and other mechanisms where the schedule supports time set aside for special activities.
One of the most innovative approaches was implemented at Fleming Island High School. School leadership convened a meeting with some faculty members and, together, they organized a variety of activities. These included the coding through Minecraft and through a Dance party. Teachers within the elective courses, CTE classes, computer science, math, and robotics teams work together on coding lessons. But the innovation that allowed participation for all students was a schedule hack! The school had the idea to implement the “ Pep Rally Schedule ”, a tradition reserved for football season.
During football seasons, all class periods are shortened, and the bell schedule is modified. This modification allows the time saved in each period to roll into an “ extra ” period, and all students are then able to participate in a pep rally. This strategy opened up a common time for all students to have the time in their schedule to celebrate the Hour of Code ™. School administration believes that if we can make time for football, surely we can make time for coding! We hope to amplify and replicate this strategy across all secondary schools in the upcoming Hour of Code ™. 12
What doeS It look lIke
As we have learned, there in no wrong ways to do the Hour of Code ™, unless – of course – there is no coding done by students! Instructional settings and access to technology vary widely, from students having one - to - one devices that are used all day by each student, and even taken home, while other schools rely on classroom sets, moveable carts, and computer labs. Some schools have a few student computers in each classroom. Across the country, there are many schools that do not have enough computers for students to all have a chance to code on a device during the week, so are there options and ways to work with all kinds of different instructional settings.
We would also stress that, even in the most technology rich environments, students learn with different modalities. A blended approach to coding is important, bringing in all the intelligences and learning styles. For example, at Orange Park Elementary School many learning styles were tapped into. “ We planned for students to experience Hour of Code ™ during their resource times. Many teachers also did projects in their own classrooms during the week. For example, the 6th grade science teacher, Mrs. Dougherty, had all of her sixth graders coding the path from their room to the cafeteria. Students in 2nd - 6th grades experienced Code.org and Scratch activities on the Chromebooks in the media center. Even the Kindergarten and 1st Graders did a "screen - free" version of coding in a Maze. In P.E., students learned about looping with a dancing activity. Art revealed pictures through pixels! ” It is important to infuse multiple approaches to teaching coding through the arts and through physical activities to allow students to see on - ramps across the different content areas, and to build strong connections. 13
CodIng unplugged
In schools where there were challenges with access to technology, computational thinking, and coding were able to be accomplished through “ unplugged ” lessons. Unplugged lessons are those that allow the student to participate in coding by working on a paper based or physical project. Students study patterns to learn how to code. Then the expression of the patterns can occur through many outputs. Students may listen to music and identify loops,
then compose their own song. Some may use music, movement and choreography to develop a new dance. Others may build a structure, noting the repetition and frameworks. Some will learn binary and make an art product, such as a binary bracelet. There are many ways to work with available resources and have a robust hour of code ™, even without touching a computer. In some schools, there was access to devices, but not enough for a class set. In these cases, two students may work together and do “ pair - coding ” or partner coding. In this case, two students share a computer. One is driving while the other is navigating. The navigator tells the driver what to do, and the team collaborates on the challenge the team is trying to
solve. Then, after a given amount of time, the partners switch roles. In addition to the experience gained by coding, communication skills are enhanced. The partners must be articulate in their instructions. The navigator must speak clearly and with confidence, projecting their voice. The driver must listen with a keen ear, interpreting the directions from the navigator and carrying the instructions out.
“ It should be mandatory that kids should understand computer science. ” will.i.am
14
CodIng on - lIne
There are many resources available on the Hour of Code ™ website that provides access to both resources created by Code.org and also by partner organizations. Code.org staff have vetted the resources that are found on their website. All of the Code.org resources are free, as are most of the other referenced resources. If a cost is involved, it is noted on the re- source page. Resources can be filtered by grade level, content area focus, time needed to complete the project. The page can be filtered by topic, activity type, and language, such as blocks or typing code. It is also possible to sort by the type of technology available in the classroom, and even for classrooms without computers or reliable internet.
15
CodIng WIth robotS
To be relevant to students, coding must have a purpose. Why am I doing this? What can I create? What problems can I solve? What careers can this lead me to? How do I get there? To explore this, some students learned to code by creating dance programs online and on the football field, others build games, designed apps or web pages, and some wrote code to solve problems. But it is very important to bring the physical world into the coding experience. To accomplish the task of seeing what the robot could do, students participated when they coded with robots to see what tasks they could program the robots to complete. Robotic technology is showing up in so many places and automating processes that had previously been done by the human workforce. Many students have
had the opportunity to explore robotics through clubs and FIRST Lego League teams. But not everyone has the opportunity, and it is important for all students to get to build and program
a robot. Across the district, robotics was infused deeply into the Hour of Code ™ across the grade levels, kindergarten through high school. When infusing into the Hour of Code ™, the foundation is being placed for many of the skills that students will encounter in the workforce. Students begin by learning using instructional tools, such as Coding Express, where they integrate coding and story telling, and then can rapidly move into the WeDo and EV3 robots. Students can begin with coding task that involve drop and drag programming, similar in feel to the on - line Code.org Hour of Code ™ activities, then can transition to the EV3.
16
outComeS
In Clay County 27,625 students participated in the Hour of Code ™! This was possible through partnerships and collaborative planning that took place in the district. Leaders were empowered, and those leaders empowered their teachers to find creative solutions, as described in the stories told in the narrative.
There were also unintended outcomes that came from this effort. Just as founder of Code.org, Hadi Partovi, anticipated, “ if we give kids the opportunity to code, they will be interested and want to learn more. ” And that is exactly what happened in Clay County. As a result of the Hour of Code ™ , new programs and schedule
modifications have been made to allow students to have more opportunity to code. Schools are opening computer labs in the school before and after school so that students can come in and code. Some schools have implemented time for coding every week. Others are making computers available for early finishers to jump on and code. Schools are asking for more training in the media centers and materials to assure that all students have additional capacity to have hands - on, rich experiences. Middle school and high school science teachers are learning to infuse Microsoft Hacking STEM curriculum into their lessons and are taking training, side by side with school media specialists so that the media centers can develop coding experiences in the media centers to extend the work in the science classrooms, and to infuse informational text on science topics aligned to the content and careers supporting this learning. True interdisciplinary collaborations are developing across the schools and across the district. 17
We are In! SIgn uS up! What do I do?
Register your event! Visit the Hour of Code ™ website to register your event and be counted. You may find the registration link here: https://hourofcode.com/us
No event is too large or too small. When you register, you also have the chance to win robots and microbits to add physical computing to your event. Your event will show up on the map and be counted. There is access to materials to promote your event located here: https://hourofcode.com/us/promote
Getting started is easy! Follow the guidance from this page and you will find all the resources you need. Find the “ How To ” resources at https://hourofcode.com/us/how - to
“ Creativity means waking up with a crazy idea to change the world, and then doing it. ” Hadi Partovi 18
We partICIpated! What next?
Hour of Code ™ is just the beginning! Empower faculty to infuse coding into their content and assure that every student has the chance to program a robot. Create an environment where teachers are empowered to hack their lessons and bring in critical computer science skills. Most teachers were not exposed to coding curriculum in their teacher preparation programs, so teachers will need training. Code.org provides free workshops through partners, and regional partners will do their best to work with schools and districts to schedule workshops that work to meet local needs.
Teachers: Sign Up for a free workshop at Code.org
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thankS!
We hope that you are inspired to commit to the Hour of Code ™!
Thanks to Gary Chartrandand Hadi Partovi for raising awareness about the need for every student to have access to coding. We must make a promise to our students to prepare them for careers of the future.
Share your experiences with the Hour of Code ™ with us!
Visit our website:
stem2hub.org
OR
Email us at:
Kathleen@stem2hub.org
Visit hourofcode.com/files/participation - guide.pdf for more information!
STEM2 Hub is a registered trademark
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