Livermore Students to Participate in 'Hour of Code'

During the week of Dec. 9, Granada High School is hosting an event in the computer lab intended to allow students to "play and experiment with computer science."

The 'Hour of Code" event is organized by Computer Science and Technology teacher, Carol Kinnard. 

According to the Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, the "Hour of Code" is a massive campaign from Code.org to recruit 10 million students to try one hour of computer science during Computer Science Education Week.

A statement released by the district says students will learn from tutorials from Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, and artwork from the popular games Angry Birds and Plants  vs. Zombies.

Here is information provided by the district about the coder event:

What is the Hour of Code?
• Fun in the computer lab. Students will play and experiment with computer science. Tutorials will feature 
lectures from Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, and artwork from the popular games Angry Birds and Plants 
vs. Zombies. No experience needed! 
• When will students participate? After school during the week of December 9-13 in ROOM 401. 

Why Computer Science? 
• Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. Basic programming activ­ities help nurture creativity and problem solving skills. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any future career path. 
• Computer programming jobs are growing 3 times faster than students entering the field. Yet fewer schools teach computer science than 10 years ago. 90% of K-12 schools in the United States don’t teach it at all. 

Who is behind this campaign?
• Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the College Board, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and over 100 others, are uniting to back the Hour of Code campaign. The Computing in the Core Coalition and Code.org are organizing CSEdWeek 2013. The annual CSEdWeek celebrates the  birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906).

Win a valuable STEAM gift card!
• Students who participate will be entered in a drawing to win one of many gift cards from STEAM, a gaming entertainment platform. 

Students have been encouraged to participate and visit code.org or Ms. Kinnard’s website kinnardweb.com to learn more.