Hour of Code
Manheim Central School District Edition
Celebrating the HOUR of CODE
Computer science drives innovation throughout the US economy, but it remains marginalized throughout K-12 education. Only 27 states allow students to count computer science courses toward high school graduation. There are currently 586,982 open computing jobs nationwide. Last year, only 38,175 computer science students graduated into the workforce.
Computer Science Education Week occurs from Dec. 7-13 and its highlighting event is the Hour of Code. It is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. Teachers, students, and administrators are encouraged to try a code tutorial.
Manheim Central's Committment to the Hour of Code
Here at Manheim Central we are celebrating the Hour of Code from Wednesday, December 9th to Friday, January 29th. The elementary schools are focusing on the next few weeks prior to Christmas break, while the high school is focusing on the time while Keystone Testing takes place. This extended amount of time will allow time for preparation, voluntary trainings, collaboration among staff, and distribution of technology.
All of our students and staff have been signed up at Code.Org. We have them signed in using Clever, which is a single sign on. Directions on how to log in are below. You can do an hour over a series of days whenever/wherever you can fit it into your schedule, whether that be in Enrichment/Intervention time, Independent station in hybrid, implementation in class, center time, or even indoor recess. We will be broadcasting on all channels our efforts in bringing this valuable activity to our students. Take pictures of students coding so that we can share with the community. I have placed a Media Album on Schoology in our EDTECH group to share your photos.
Lastly, once students begin using code, encourage them to continue at home. A letter explaining the Hour of Code to parents can be found on our Schoology Group. Make sure you have access to all of these resources. Join our EDTECH@MCSD Group using the RFBKM-JGKCJ code.
All of our students and staff have been signed up at Code.Org. We have them signed in using Clever, which is a single sign on. Directions on how to log in are below. You can do an hour over a series of days whenever/wherever you can fit it into your schedule, whether that be in Enrichment/Intervention time, Independent station in hybrid, implementation in class, center time, or even indoor recess. We will be broadcasting on all channels our efforts in bringing this valuable activity to our students. Take pictures of students coding so that we can share with the community. I have placed a Media Album on Schoology in our EDTECH group to share your photos.
Lastly, once students begin using code, encourage them to continue at home. A letter explaining the Hour of Code to parents can be found on our Schoology Group. Make sure you have access to all of these resources. Join our EDTECH@MCSD Group using the RFBKM-JGKCJ code.
Gaining Access to CODE.ORG using CLEVER
- Go to our Clever Portal
- This is under “Students” -> “View More” on the District Website
- Click “Log in with Active Directory”
- On our Custom MCSD Page, enter their Office 365 Username (ex. HPotter0987654@manheimcentral.ORG)
- Enter their current MCSD password, the same one used to log onto the computer and/or Google Apps.
- Click “Sign In”
- Once they’re in the Clever Portal, there will be a variety of applications available to them… just click on “Code.org” and get started.
- Students may have to complete a quick “Sign Up” process, but the information will all be completed for them via Clever, they just have to click the button.
Managing Students in CODE.ORG
Code.org allows teacher to create classes to manage student use.
1. Log into Clever using the steps above.
2. Click on Code.Org
3. Click on Student's Accounts & Progress
4. At the top of the page click on "New Section"
5. Name your class. That is all you have to fill in. You should see a code at the end of the table.
6. Once students log into Code.org, have them use this code to enter your class section so that you can see what they are working on and how far they are progressing.
1. Log into Clever using the steps above.
2. Click on Code.Org
3. Click on Student's Accounts & Progress
4. At the top of the page click on "New Section"
5. Name your class. That is all you have to fill in. You should see a code at the end of the table.
6. Once students log into Code.org, have them use this code to enter your class section so that you can see what they are working on and how far they are progressing.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE
A Code folder can be found in our EDtech group in Schoology. It is populated with lesson plans, student participation certificates, coding activities, and resources that can be used to participate.
Power My Learning
Also found on Clever, Power My Learning is a repository for interactive lessons. The following can be found on Power My Learning.
- Turtle Academy by Turtle Academy - Grades: 7-12 (iPad Compatible) – Learn basic programming principles while experimenting with a new programming language.
- Holiday Card Tutorial by mit.edu - Grades 4-12 – Design and program an interactive holiday card for your friends and family.
- Game Maven by Crunchzilla - Grades 10-12 (iPad Compatible) – A fun and exciting introduction to programming concepts and building computer games.
- Lightbot 2.0 by EducativeGames - Grades 7-12 – Set commands, change colors, and test theories in this coding challenge.
- An Introduction to Programming by Hackety.com - Grades 6-12 (iPad Compatible) – What are algorithms and how do they work in programming?
Not crazy about using CODE.ORG...What about iPads? Web-based programs?
Code.org is an awesome resource with lesson plans, unplugged resources (yes coding without technology) and all students have access throughout the entire district.
However, we have a variety of other resources that you can use.
Our elementary iPads have coding apps loaded onto them that can you can use with your classes. These will be found under the Purchased tab in the Apps Store.
However, we have a variety of other resources that you can use.
- ON Clever, there is the coding program,Trinket. Trinket is an all-in-one coding environment designed for education. Teachers and students use trinket to code during class. This is a more robust, higher level coding and would most likely serve the Middle or High School level student.
- Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/hourofcode
- Made with Code: https://www.madewithcode.com/projects/art
- Scratch.com: Students use the program Scratch to start learning basic computer programming. Students can work in pairs to work through the tutorial. https://scratch.mit.edu/
Our elementary iPads have coding apps loaded onto them that can you can use with your classes. These will be found under the Purchased tab in the Apps Store.
- Kodable
- Scratch Jr.
- Hopscotch
- Tynker
You can print Hour of Code certificates in bulk at code.org/certificates. Students will also see a certificate when they complete an Hour of Code tutorial, but some students won’t make it to the very end in an hour OR they didn't use Code.Org — and that’s okay.
Elementary Voluntary Trainings Available!
All Elementary Trainings will run from 2:15-3:00 in the building's library.
- HC Burgard: Thursday, Dec. 10th
- Doe Run on Gramby: Friday, Dec. 11th
- Stiegel: Monday, Dec. 14th