#HourofCode

Do you want your child to be a thinker? Of course! Do you want them to be an out of box thinker? Indeed. Do you want to stretch your child's thinking in a way that can help them in any area of life they choose? Then challenge them to learn code. I know that if I had at my fingertips, what these children have now when I was their age, it could have been a whole different world for me.

It's not often that I am impressed with things, but the program being rolled out by code.org during Computer Science Education Week is impressive. They have the support of some of the worlds most identifiable leaders and trendsetters. Take a look.

Code.org has put together a simple and effective way to show kids that coding is easy, once you get the hang of it, by using what they can relate to...Angry Birds. Genius! Their challenge, called the Hour of Code is to provide an opportunity for every student across the country to try computer science for one hour during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 8-12). They have programming games for all ages, including games for the younger kiddos. Whats more is that they offer a self-service program that goes beyond the Hour of Code and encourages educators to teach students coding basics in the classroom or as an after-school activity. Even cooler is that code.org has written the lessons to go along so all you have to do is figure how to light the spark.

Here are some ways to include coding in your school day:

1. Take them to the computer lab and show them this video. Then, let them explore.
2. Provide a link on your Blackboard site or another site your school uses. Here are some:
• Angry Birds
• Coding (Unplugged)
• LightBot
• Tynker
3. Encourage your technology specialist or someone interested to hold a Coding Club.

I hope everyone finds some way to include the Hour of Code into their schools and classrooms. Please share any awesome ideas and ways you are spreading the word about computer science.