Pleasantdale Elementary Students Celebrate Computer Science During Hour of Code

Students at Pleasantdale Elementary School in La Grange recently took part in the Hour of Code, a global initiative designed to introduce millions of students to one hour of computer science and computer programming during Computer Science Education Week (December 5-11). The largest learning event in history, the Hour of Code reaches over 100 million students in over 180 countries with activities available in over 45 languages.

Third graders in Mary Jo Borse’s classroom participated in the Hour of Code, the featured event during Computer Science Education Week. Students worked in pairs using Blockly, the visual programming language used in Code.org’s online learning system. A few third grade Coding Club members also assisted Ema Chorney's kindergarten class to help them code.

“We live in a world surrounded by technology. We know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works. As a district we are committed to ensuring our students are ready to compete in a 21st century world and Hour of Code allows them to begin to experience what will soon be foundational knowledge. As a district committed to producing future ready students we will continue to seek out these types of experiences for our students,” said Superintendent Dave Palzet, Ph.D.

The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code, to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science and celebrities, tech visionaries and even President Obama support Hour of Code. Over 100 partners have joined together to support this movement and every Apple Store in the world has hosted an Hour of Code. According to Code.org, by introducing girls and boys to fundamental computing concepts on a level playing field, starting with the earliest learners, we can inspire today’s generation of students to build technology.

Photo Caption 1: Third graders coding during Hour of Code at Pleasantdale Elementary School in La Grange.

Photo Caption 2: Mary Jo Borse's third grade class earned their Hour of Code certificates on Dec. 7 at Pleasantdale Elementary School.

Photo Caption 3: Kindergartners in Ema Chorney’s class learning to code at Pleasantdale Elementary School.