Posted on 02/04/2019
During the month of February, students across the District will be provided opportunities to participate in various coding activities as part of “We Love to Code” month. This is the fourth year FHSD has hosted a District-wide event focused on coding, but the first time the event has spanned an entire month.
“Coding engages students in problem-solving and critical thinking because it encourages a focus on detail, task persistence, and collaboration,” said Instruction Technology Content Leader April Burton. “These skills transfer to success in real-life problem solving and are sought after by employers.”
All schools have coordinated opportunities for students to learn more about computer science, coding, and programming. Library media specialists and teachers will be implementing fun and challenging ways to get students interested in coding. Students will be introduced to a variety of digital and ‘unplugged’ programs that encourage them to think outside of the box. Star Wars and Moana themed coding activities will engage younger learners. In the middle schools, students will be able to code their own dance party, complete with virtual dancers. High school students will be able to complete coding passports and utilize virtual reality headsets.
“Many of our elementary students are coding with programmable robots, such as Lego WeDo 2.0 or Lego EV3 Robots,” said Burton. “Students build a robot to solve a problem and create code in order for the robot to complete a task. Many of our library media specialists have created opportunities for students to code by programming Sphero Robots and through a variety of plugged and unplugged activities that teach logic and computational thinking.”
Parents are encouraged to participate in coding activities with their students at home. A list of coding websites and activities is available here, divided into grade-appropriate activities. Parents might even find themselves learning to code!