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While this week and the Hour of Code are great ways to spark awareness, educators should also look for long-term ways to keep computer science in their classrooms.
In an Education Week blog, experts note that while Hour of Code activities are great for building momentum, educators should look to foster a broader knowledge of computational thinking and problem solving. While reading and writing code is a great way to teach this, teachers can also focus on the underlying thought process.
“… students don’t need to be future computer science majors to benefit from computational thinking skills. Solving puzzles, splitting up large problems into small ones, getting stuck and then figuring out how to get unstuck, will help future designers, writers, artists and makers just as much as our future engineers.”
Computer science should not be relegated to just one week per year, either. Educator Steven W. Anderson writes on EdTech that choosing Hour of Code projects that can be continued throughout the year is a great way to allow students to continue to explore their skills. He cites MIT App Inventor as a great tool for letting students step outside their initial activity.
