Although Palo Alto is the birthplace of Hewlett Packard, Google, Facebook and scores of other groundbreaking technology companies, many students in Palo Alto public schools have never had the chance to learn computer programming. And if kids in Palo Alto have a ‘tech gap’ in terms of knowledge, it’s easy to imagine how wide the gulf is in other parts of the United States.
Hour of Code provides gateway to technology creation
To address this issue, a national event called Hour of Code was founded in 2013 by a nonprofit called Code.org, which is “dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color.” Last year over 15 million students tried computer programming through Hour of Code as a way to jumpstart their ability to not just consume technology, but also to create it.
From December 8-12, Palo Alto public schools (and many local private schools) participated in Hour of Code through events designed to engage kids (and in some cases, their families) in the fun of computer programming. The timing of Hour of Code is aligned with Computer Science Education week, which has existed for years around Grace Hopper’s birthday on December 9th (a pioneering computer scientist).
Barron Park’s Hour of Code event featured robots, programming and more
At Barron Park Elementary School, Smita Kolhatkar, the Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for education technology,
Smita Kolhatkar, TOSA for education technology, Jim Godfrey, School Site Council and Anne Lawer, PTA President, Barron Park.
coordinated a variety of activities that exposed students and families to different kinds of programming, including family events, teacher training sessions, and a joint program with the fourth and fifth graders from Juana Briones. As Smita said, “My goal is to have every teacher from kindergarten through fifth grade including coding on a regular basis so it becomes are regular part of the curriculum.”
When Palo Alto Pulse dropped by Barron Park for the evening Hour of Code family event, we found four classrooms filled with students and their parents playing with ipads, controlling robots, and learning to move colors. Representatives from the companies that created the programs were on hand to give demonstrations and get students trying new technology, including: Tynker (beginning programming), Kodable (ipad based programming), Trinket (introduction to Python) and Wonder Workshop (programmable robots), and Scratch (an intro to programming created at MIT).
The kids were totally absorbed learning how to make the robots race across the floor, creating colors and shapes that would move on command and steering their shapes through a maze on the ipad. As one student explained about Trinket, “It’s really fun. I’ve never done Python before but this lets me start with something easy and add onto it as I figure it out.”
learning Python at Barron Park
robot programming with Wonder Workshop at Barron Park
A parent who was there with her nine year old son agreed. “I want my son to learn coding and Scratch is a really fun place to begin. We just moved here from Illinois and there was no programming there. This is a creative way to learn.”
Technology companies join the effort to expose kids to coding
It was great to have parents on hand as many of the programs have at home versions that can help students extend and continue the learning that began during Hour of Code. “Palo Alto Unified has adopted Tynker for all of its schools to use, and thanks to Smita’s well-organized event, we were able to show parents how they can support computer science learning at home with Tynker’s free Hour of Code activities,” said Jennifer Apy Tynker’s VP of Marketing.
Tabitha Kappeler-Hurley, Palo Alto’s communications coordinator, is enthusiastic about Hour of Code’s potential for opening Palo Alto students’ minds to the creativity of computer coding. “The Hour of Code activities blend problem solving, communication and teamwork skills with fun,” she said. “Just participating in an hour of coding can help children see their potential in a new way.” (Photos below by Jennifer Apy of Tynker.)
Even younger children were able to participate in Hour of Code.
Families get in on the action at Fairmeadow’s Hour of Code event.
Fairmeadow students creating code.
Fairmeadow Hour of Code fun.
