Oswego Students Get Visit from Local Officials

Submitted by Oswego School District 308

OSWEGO, IL — Fourth grade students at Southbury Elementary School received a visit from prominent local officials on Thursday, Dec. 10.

Congressional Aide Brandon McKee and Coalition Director Susan Russell, both from the office of U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., visited the fourth grade’s Hour of Code demonstration at Southbury. Representatives from Google also attended the school-wide event.

Southbury was one of eight School District 308 elementary schools to participate in the Hour of Code event held during Computer Science Education Week, Dec. 7-13. In total, more than 2,000 District 308 elementary students participated in the Hour of Code event. Boulder Hill, Old Post, The Wheatlands, Grande Park, Fox Chase, Churchill, and Hunt Club elementary schools also participated.

The Hour of Code event is aimed at helping students learn to write computer code using state-of-the art technology and electronic devices.

“Students utilized the pair programming teaching concept,” Southbury Elementary Principal Lindsay Allen said. “This teaching technique helps students work together to solve problems, while boosting their engagement and confidence and improving their satisfaction with the activity itself.”

In pair programming, two programmers, or students, work together. Typically, one student takes the role of the driver by writing code, while the observer reviews each line of code as the driver types it in. The students switch roles frequently.

Each grade level (first through fifth) was given an hour to participate in the daylong, hands-on technology experience. This year marks the first year that Southbury participated in the Google-sponsored event.

Hour of Code is a global movement that reaches tens of millions of students in more than 180 countries. The program is offered in more than 40 languages.

Visit the Hour of Code website for more information on the national event.