Local Students Participating in 'Hour of Code'

Students at Los Altos School District schools and Bullis Charter School are participating in the nationwide “Hour of Code” event this week, an effort recruit millions of students across the country to try computer programming for one hour.

AT LASD, students as young as kindergarten are participating, “During this week every LASD student will be given opportunities to engage in activities that will teach them to code... Los Altos School District, thanks to funding from LAEF, is fortunate enough to be in the 10% of U.S. Schools that are offering every student the opportunity to learn computational thinking through the STEM and CSTEM program.”

BCS Communications Director Emily Nelson says this initiative builds on the work already being done at BCS,  “computer science has been a part of the fabric of our school since the beginning through our Project Based Learning units, co and extra curricular classes, and core instruction.  

“We are very proud to have our classes participate in this exciting event this week!”

What is the Hour of Code?

• Fun in the computer lab. Students will play and experiment with computer science. Tutorials will feature 

lectures from Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, and artwork from the popular games Angry Birds and Plants 

vs. Zombies. No experience needed! 

• When will students participate? After school during the week of December 9-13 in ROOM 401. 

Why Computer Science? 

• Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. Basic programming activ­ities help nurture creativity and problem solving skills. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any future career path. 

• Computer programming jobs are growing 3 times faster than students entering the field. Yet fewer schools teach computer science than 10 years ago. 90% of K-12 schools in the United States don’t teach it at all. 

Who is behind this campaign?

• Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the College Board, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and over 100 others, are uniting to back the Hour of Code campaign. The Computing in the Core Coalition and Code.org are organizing CSEdWeek 2013. The annual CSEdWeek celebrates the  birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).