The Plainview-Old Bethpage School District recently joined millions of students across the United States for an “Hour of Code” in honor of Computer Science Education Week. “Hour of Code” is a nation-wide initiative that aims to include computer science as one of the major subjects students are required to take and to encourage students to pursue a career in the computer science field. The entire school district completed hands-on activities and modules that included JavaScript, Python, Android and HTML. Students worked on such activities as drag and drop programming, writing of code, application development and website design.
“Technology has quickly become an important part of our everyday lives and an omnipresent component of today’s job market,” said Superintendent Dr. Lorna Lewis. “In order to help prepare our students for the future and encourage a creative and problem-solving mindset, we must begin to integrate computer science lessons into our everyday curriculum.”
The “Hour of Code” was also an opportunity to involve elementary age students in computer programming lessons. Research shows that younger children can grasp programming concepts before they know how to read and write. Their brains are more receptive to computer languages at a young age, similar to foreign languages. All 850 students involved were challenged to think creatively and were exposed to possible career paths.
—Courtesy of the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District
