The high school coding teacher and I coordinated our schedules for Hour of Code, and my kids got to take a bus over to the high school to code with the "big kids!!" Oh my goodness, was it ever incredible!
I blogged about our plans here, so head there now and read that first.
Now that you're all caught up, let me show you a "few" pictures of our time.
It turned out a little blurry, but this was our Tweeted picture before we left for the high school.
This high schooler looked at me and said, "This kid is coding at my level!" That was exactly what I wanted to have happen - for everyone to see that anyone can code . . . and be a rock star at it.
All of the yellow shirts are mine. Don't you just love this lab? And look at the expressions on their faces. Engagement!!
I loved seeing so many girls totally into coding.
I loved how the high school students coached more than anything. See who's got the mice? They let my kids take the lead and just guided as necessary.
This is my favorite picture. This one seldom smiles. Just look at that face!!
This was one of my favorite days ever. We also had two newspaper reporters, the director of our local Chamber of Commerce, and a rep from the organization responsible for the lab grant with us, along with several administrators. To see the kids collaborating with others twice their age hopefully had a significant impact on everyone there. I wanted them to see that our kids are capable of so much, and that the 21st century skills of collaboration and problem solving that we talk so much about are not only doable but achievable.
Of course, it's not too late for you to start coding! Go to www.code.org, sign your class up for free tutorials, and get them started. NO prior experience is necessary (believe me). This was a big risk for me last year, but one that I'm so incredibly glad I took.
Happy coding!
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