Hour of Code is Coming #JefCoEd!

Hey everyone! It is that time of year! The Hour of Code! This is an initiative to make students and teachers aware of the importance of coding during the week of Dec 7-13. Over 100 million students in 180 countries have participated in HofC. It would be great to have every school in JefCoEd participate this year. The website to sign up your school is: http://hourofcode.com

1

We have also created a website for JefCoEd schools who are participating! If you are participating, sign up and let us know! Here is the link: http://jefcoedhoc.weebly.com

Below I am going to give you some resources that may help you plan for the event. Also, over the next month I will post on the HofC site about different tools and sites that you can use to bring coding into your school/classroom. Statistics have proven that not only are these activities great for strengthening math skills, but they also help students get hooked on science and math before stereotypes are learned. Talk about College and Career preparedness!

Code.org is the website that supports and started the HofC. They have lessons put together for HofC in addition to their regular curriculum. Teachers and students can sign up for accounts and save their process. Here is a great lesson plan for that day to use with Code.org.

More Coding Websites and Apps that I will be highlighting over the next month:

Tynker – Tynker is great for students of all ages. They have added lessons for the HofC to use with your students. Tynker has the ability to create a class and you can assign lessons. It is also available as an app.

Kobable – Kodable is for younger elementary. It is also online and an app. You can set up classes and lessons for your students. The site also has HofC lessons as well.

Scratch – Scratch is from MIT and is probably the leading drag and drop coding site out there. They are great for students of all ages. You can also “explore” creations and then “remix” them so you can see the code and change it. Students can create games, stories, etc. There are a lot of sites that have lessons for all grades. Here is my favorite: http://scratch.ie/resources  There is also a Scratch Jr. app for younger students, though students just starting out can benefit.

Made with Code – Made with Code is a site from Google that was created to get more girls interested in coding and STEM. Even though it is for girls, it has a lot of fun projects!

Robots and other resources:

Dash and Dot – Dash and Dot are affordable probably my favorite robots to code. They have a variety of math lessons and many apps to use for coding. They have a HofC ideas on their blog. You can purchase here.

Sphero – this is a fun and also affordable robot that students can code using a variety of apps. Students can make this ball do a variety of activities! You can purchase Sphero from Barnes and Noble.

Ozobot –  These tiny robots can use code using app and a game mat. The best part, they are less than $50 and use apps on Nooks (all those sitting in your libraries!). They can also be purchased through Barnes and Noble.

 

 

About amandacdykes

Amanda Dykes is one of the Instructional Technology Coaches for Jefferson County

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar