What is Hour Of Code?
This December 6-12, educators and students worldwide will be participating in Hour of Code. This yearly event celebrates computer science with an hour of coding to spark interest in coding in tomorrow’s computer programmers. Students of all ages and experience levels with coding can participate, and with over 500 pre-built computer science Hour of Code activities from Code.org, it’s easy to get started hosting an event at your school. Anyone can host an event—a teacher, an entire school district, or community members or groups.
Get Inspired with Past Hour of Code Events
Using #HourOfCode, you can see how others have celebrated in 2021 to get ideas for your event. You can follow @hourofcode to stay tuned to event happenings.
3 Ways to Celebrate Hour of Code
Here’s how some big names in the tech and gaming space are bringing Hour of Code to students all over the world this December.
- Minecraft: Education Edition—Strange changes are happening in key historical moments and kids will learn basic coding to correct these strange mysterious historical mishaps. Watch the teaser trailer and get the lesson plan.
- Microsoft MakeCode Arcade—Kids will code an arcade-style game to save a forest, acquiring knowledge in both coding and how firefighters are using computers and technology to combat real forest fires. Watch the trailer and get your 2021 Educator Guide.
- Hour of Code at Khan Academy— Bring coding to life with activities that use JavaScript, HTML, CSS, or Databases. Access teacher resources.
Get even more ideas for Hour of Code from Code.org, including a Disney Frozen activity that lets Anna and Elsa create snowflake patterns on ice while ice-skating.
Organizing an Hour of Code at Your School
Join schools worldwide in bringing the exciting world of coding to kids. Get your school name and city on the Hour of Code map featured on the Hour of Code website—register your event here.
Bring Coding to Life Everyday
Here are some EdTech tools that can bring coding to your classroom or media center daily.
- pi-top— Raspberry Pi 4 is an electronics, coding, and robotics solution for beginners to makers, developers, and engineers. Through pi-top’s STEM LMS for schools, educators can access 100+ hours of STEM projects.
- Wonder Workshop—Bring coding to life with no experience needed with award-winning Dash and Cue robots. Turnkey activities and lesson plans meet CSTA, ISTE-S, and Common Core State Standards. This out-of-the-box coding solution and curriculum are also aligned with Code.org’s Computer Science Fundamentals courses and Computer Science Discovery series. Dash brings coding to K-5, and Cue provides project-based learning for grades 6-8.
- iRobot—Root® rt0 and rt1 robots are designed for the classroom and to make coding fun through art, music, and exploration. Premium features on the Root® rt1, enhance classroom learning with color sensors and the ability to navigate magnetic whiteboards.
- Makey Makey— Makey Makey can turn everyday objects like bananas into touchpads—no programming knowledge needed. Students can even expand into coding with Makey Makey by using Scratch programming and using Makey Makey to control their creations. Check out Makey Makey Hour of Code activities.
How will you be celebrating Hour of Code?
Share in the comments below.
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