OS Digital Learning - Hour of Code
Hour of Code Week: December 5 - 11, 2022
Theme: Celebrating Progress
Computer Science Education Week is December 5 - 11, 2022. The theme this year is Celebrating Progress, the aim is to highlight the advancements in making CS education more equitable and accessible for all learners over the last decade.
In this issue you will find...
- New, downloadable CS Heroes Posters and activities to inspire your students
- Hour of Code activities that promote
- Exploration - see how NASA uses computer science in space
- Play - show students how to be persistent in their learning
- Creativity - allow your students to use computer science to show off their creativity
- Resources and activities to engage your students during Computer Science Education Week and throughout the whole school year.
- Virtual Field Trips
- Career Chats
- Google CS First Activities
- Professional Learning and support opportunities
Computer Science Education Week Kickoff
Hear from a select group of CS Heroes about their own progress, and celebrate community mile stones in CS Education.
This event will be streamed on Monday, December 5, at 1:00 PM
Register prior to the event at this link.
Showcase CS Heroes in your Classroom using the CS Heroes Posters
Other CS Heroes Activities:
- Welcome Activities - provide ways to utilize the CS Heroes posters as opening activities
- Poster Lesson - students will explore the relationships of CS and other industries
- My CS Hero Poster - students research additional CS heroes and create a poster
- Future Me Poster - students will create posters illustrating their future selves
Hour of Code Week
No Experience Necessary
The Hour of Code takes place every year during Computer Science Education Week. It is a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science and show that anybody can learn the basics of computer science.
"The Hour of Code is designed to demystify code and show that computer science is not rocket science—anybody can learn the basics," said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of Code.org. "Over 100 million students worldwide have tried an Hour of Code. The demand for relevant 21st-century computer science education crosses all borders and knows no boundaries."
Highlights:
- No student sign-in required
- Hundreds of one-hour self-guided tutorials available in over 45 languages
- Options for every age and experience level
- search by grade bands
- search tutorials for beginners or those comfortable with CS
- Personalized certificates for students that complete an Hour of Code
Find more information at https://hourofcode.com/us
Activities
Watch this video to get inspired and learn how to bring Hour of Code to your classroom
EXPLORE Computer Science In Space
Join NASA for a special Hour of Code feature!
Use the video below to get your students excited about the Hour of Code and mark your calendars to watch the premier video of how computer science is used in space. This video will be broadcasted on December 5th at 10 AM ET. You can view it on NASA STEM's YouTube channel.
Try Hour of Code activities related to space.
Hello Word Space uses Sprite Lab to build fun and imaginative projects.
NASA's Space Jam teaches about music, astronomy and coding. Students will program planets to make a musical solar system.
In Star Wars, students have the option of using blocks or JavaScript to program droids and create their own Star Wars game.
Get your young girls interested in STEM and computer science by having them go through underwater challenges in the SciGirls Code Quest from PBS Kids.
Code a 3D Space Invaders Game - this is a take on the classic Space Invaders game. Students will learn the basics of game development and fundamental programming concepts like loops and more.
PLAY Sports and Games using Computer Science
Watch this video to show how determination and practice can lead to success. Then, have your students engage in some of the following Hour of Code sporting and gaming activities and learn to persist as they create and play while learning.
- Hello World: Soccer: code interactive scenes as the team captain
- Sports: make a basketball game or mix and match across sports
- Flappy Code: Try the tutorial to make your own game
- Minecraft Hour of Code - Escape Estate: Solve puzzles using computational thinking to unlock secrets and escape the mysterious mansion
Get CREATIVE with Computer Science
- Code a Dance Party: This is a favorite among kids and adults! Use music from your favorite artist and have your sprites show off the dance moves you have coded. There are endless combinations of dance steps. Use the teacher resources for this activity to see the lesson plans, filter the music and provide students with certificates. There is also an unplugged version of Dance Party that you could use to help students learn about controlling actions using events.
- Add art and animation to a classic poem with Poem Art. This activity integrates computer science with ELA and helps students illustrate the mood of a poem while animating it with code.
- Use Artist to learn how to draw pictures and designs. This lessons starts with simple shapes and progresses to more detailed patterns.
- Infinity Play Lab: Use Disney Infinity characters to create a story or game.
Code.org's CS Journeys
Virtual Field Trips and Career Chats
Inspire your students to study computer science by showing how it is used in many parts of business and industry. All of the following sites provide teacher resources and may require registration.
Virtual Field Trips
- Callisto: Space Innovation Tour by Amazon Future engineer - learn about the technology being tested on one of Nasa's missions (
- Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory - Tour the observatory and investigate black holes and exploding stars (K-12)
- Exploring the Deep Bit by Bit - see how computer science plays a part in helping to understand oceans and sea life. (Grades 6-8 self paced course, students will need to create an account)
- Robotics- Explore how CS helps you get your Amazon orders delivered to your doorstep (Grades 3-12)
- iRobot Cool Stuff Museum - Explore robotics history and the iRobot Cool Stuff Museum through a mobile robot. (Grades 3-12)
Career Chat Recordings
Help your students see themselves in various careers by giving them the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of people using CS in their field. Includes teacher guides for K- 5 classrooms and Secondary Classrooms.
Recommended Chats:
Hour of Code Lessons from Google's CS First
Self-paced, fun lessons for all ages using Scratch. Google CS First has three hour of code lessons that include teacher plans. Students have access to hints, highlights, and text-to-speech options to help them get through the activities. Each lesson will focus on the CS concepts of loops, sequencing, and events.
Design your Name - Students will learn to animate letters of their name. Teacher lesson plan
Build a Superhero - Students will take their hero from simple to superhero. Teacher lesson plan
My Google Logo - In this lesson, students will learn how to design and animate a Google logo. Teacher lesson plan
CS Professional Learning Opportunities
CS Fundamentals: K-5 Curriculum
Register to attend any one of these virtual workshops to help you implement computer science in your K-5 classroom. Sessions are at no cost and are offered after school hours over a 3-week period. In addition, teachers that attend and complete all parts of the workshop will receive a $150 stipend courtesy of the MISTEM Network and 10 - 12 SCECH credits.
Dates and Registration Links:
- January 11, 18, and 25, 2023 - 4:30 - 6:30 PM - Registration Link
- May 3, 10, and 17, 2023 4:30 - 6:30 PM - Registration Link
- Two Day Workshop: June 20 - 21, 2023 - 8:30 - 11:30 - Registration Link
Other CS Fundamentals workshop opportunities can be found at this link
Find more information about CS in Michigan at Mi-coding.com
Need Support?
If you would like support in your classroom during the Hour of Code, or have questions about bringing computer science to your classroom/school/district, please contact me at vinos.kassab@oakland.k12.mi.us.
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