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| Seventh graders at St. John the Baptist School in Jefferson participate in the Hour of Code as part of efforts to integrate technology into content-area classes. (Contributed photo) |
JEFFERSON — Students attending St. John the Baptist School in Jefferson celebrated Computer Science Education Week recently, by participating in the “Hour of Code” which introduces students to computer coding.
The program was developed by Code.org a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding participation in computer science across all grade levels.
Several partner organizations support the Hour of Code: Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the College Board, and many others.
Teacher introduces coding
Jacki Haberman, seventh grade teacher at the school, introduced coding to her students after attending a training class in coding at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
She came upon the class as a result of her search for lessons on the integration of technology into content-area classes.
The coding class at Marquette introduced Haberman to the Hour of Code program.
Many students in her literature classes at St. John’s have utilized “Minecraft” programming for various projects, and she wanted to expand on that to allow more students the opportunity to learn programming as another way to demonstrate and share their learning.
Efforts with the program
The seventh graders are working through the series of tutorials and activities of the Hour of Code program as they continue to learn and apply coding concepts.
The sessions take students through 20 basic lessons with the goal of progressing toward more advanced applications of coding.
The ultimate goal in having introduced the Hour of Code to seventh graders is to eventually expand it to other classes.
Thanks to several fundraisers and many generous donors to the school’s computer program, the students at St. John the Baptist School have the resources and support to carry them far into the rapidly-expanding world of computer science and its many applications.