Shore Observes Computer Science Education Week
Shore students celebrated Computer Science Education Week, December 9-13, with coding activities inspired by the Hour of Code, an international effort to promote and demystify computer programming. Shore students joined millions of their peers all over the world in completing various computer programming challenges with the goal of broadening participation in the field of computer science.
According to Code.org, the organizer of the Hour of Code, “Technology is transforming every industry on the planet. In 2015, 7 million openings in the U.S. were in occupations—including art and design—that value coding skills. But 55 percent of schools in the U.S. don’t teach computer science. It’s time for schools to catch up to the 21st century. We know that regardless of what our students do when they grow up, whether they go into medicine, business, politics, or the arts, knowing how to build technology will give them confidence and a competitive edge.”
At Shore, Upper School students learned how to create 3D objects using the design application Tinkercad, and in the Lower School, many engaged in a robotics activity using Root Robots made by iRobot. The youngest students in Pre-K and Kindergarten programmed Bee-Bots or coded a cartoon snowball fight using the CodeSpark app on their iPads.
“It’s important to emphasize,” said Technology Integration Specialist Jill Codding, “that our students have frequent opportunities all year long to build their coding and robotics skills.” Lower Schoolers spend weekly class time in Shore’s new makerspace, and older students participate in a new Engineering Design and Technology course that teaches 3D design skills in preparation for using the sophisticated new digital fabrication tools in the iLab. “It’s not about simply learning the specifics of a programming language, however” says Codding. “Instead, I see coding as a vehicle for creative expression, for practicing logical thinking and sequencing, for analyzing a problem and refining your ideas to find a solution. I also appreciate that coding gives students a chance to become experts and learn from each other. They come to see that it’s not copying to be inspired by someone else’s ideas. It’s how learning happens; it’s how we’re creative.”
Shore Country Day School’s mission is to provide an education that inspires a love of learning and encourages children to embrace academic challenge. We seek to build character, cultivate creativity, and value diversity as we help our children become healthy, compassionate citizens of the world.
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