Computer Science | News

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart's Hour of Code

• By Leila Meyer
• 12/04/13

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, WA is celebrating Computer Science Education Week (December 9 to 15) by participating in the Hour of Code.

The Hour of Code is an initiative by Code.org to introduce kids of all ages to computer programming during Computer Science Education Week. For its part, Forest Ridge School has partnered with Code Fellows, a digital trade school based in Seattle. Teachers from Forest Ridge School and Code Fellows will work with nearly 200 students in grades five through eight over the course of two days. They will introduce students to programming vocabulary, basic programming techniques, and the importance of functions in computer programs.

"We've partnered with Code Fellows to provide each of our students with an Hour of Code instruction that not only teaches basic coding principles but also fosters critical thinking in the areas of science and math," said Christine Witcher, math and science teacher at Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, in a prepared statement. "This type of experience can give students a richer context for the core concepts that they've learned in the classroom by showing them where they can be applied outside of the classroom."

More than 4.1 million students from 166 countries are registered in the 2013 Hour of Code, and according to Code Fellows, it is expected to be the largest online education event in history. Code.org provides links to a variety of free, online, self-guided tutorials for use as part of the Hour of Code. Tutorials introduce programming basics, JavaScript, robotics, iPhone app programming, game programming, and more. Code.org also offers free, downloadable PDFs of tutorials in robotics for classrooms without computers.

Further information about the Hour of Code can be found at csedweek.org.