The 2018 Hour of Code is getting ready to kick off this coming week. I tried out Hour of Code for the first time two years ago. I helped lead every student one ELA/Humanities class at a time through Hour of Code. We talked a bit about the importance of coding and ways it surrounds us. Then they were set loose to choose one of the many activities (I love the filters to help find what suits you.) The kids were engaged, trying new things, and learning. What I'm doing this year But this year I wanted to do something different. Some of them do the Code.org or Hour of Code activities in their classrooms. I wanted to provide a unique opportunity for them, not duplicate what another teacher may already be doing for Hour of Code in my building, and involve something from our Makerspace...so I decided I wanted to use our Ozobot Evo mini robots that we got last spring this year for Hour of Code. I was planning on coming up with an activity, but then I saw on Twitter (Seriously, I get a lot of my best resources and ideas from Twitter.) that someone posted about Ozobot sharing activities for Hour of Code. The timing of me finding that article a couple of weeks ago couldn't have been better! It was perfect! Last week I got to lead several 5th and 6th grade classes through the Ozobot Dance-Off. Did I follow it to fidelity? Nope. I don't think I have ever followed a pre-made lesson 100%. I always tweak them to make them my own and often need to shorten them due to time constraints. So what did I do?
One of the days I had to be out at a half day meeting. Oh no! What would I do for those students? I found another Hour of Code Ozobot activity that uses some of the same skills and programming but without the robots for the students to do online with some of the other setup I had. Then those classes can get a leg up on how the programming side works and will have the option to use the physical robots the next time I see them. Crisis averted, and it went well! Perceived obstacles Boudreau, that's great, but I don't have Ozobots. That's okay! That's not the point, though I am starting to fall in love with them. There are a ton of other edtech/makerspace/etc. companies that come out with special activities during Hour of Code. That's just the one I did this year. There are a lot of ways to tie makerspace into Hour of Code! Another librarian I know talked about using Dot robots. Another librarian does stations with different types of programs, robots, etc. I have used Tinkercad with our 3D printers and recently was looking at their coding blocks. I'm already thinking about using that next year possibly for Hour of Code. And that wouldn't require any special robots or printers to create the models - just a device (any device) with access to the internet.
The point is that Hour of Code can be a great way to show students and teachers what some of your makerspace items or resources can do in addition to all of the many other great things that coding accomplishes for our students (critical thinking, collaboration, troubleshooting, and much, much more). Boudreau, that's great, but I don't have classes coming to me during Hour of Code week. No big deal! Some classes I worked with did it this past week, which was a week early, some will do it next week, and some will do it right before winter break. Do what works for you. Okay, but I can't directly teach kids Hour of Code, because.... Okay, but can you help others facilitate an Hour of Code? Be a resource and share ideas with others in your building. You're forgetting that not everyone has devices. Nope. I'm not. Hour of Code has a lot of activities that don't require devices at all. Even one of the Ozobot activities doesn't require a robot or a device. You're also forgetting that I don't know anything about coding. That's okay! Seriously. Learn alongside the kids. Level with them: "Hey, guys I'm new at this too." I've found that kids respect when I tell them about something we're trying and am honest when I don't have experience with it. They're also more likely to try to problem solve independently. They'll also surprise you by going out of their way to share what they've learned and give tips to you and other students. They love having an opportunity to teach an adult how to do something! Try Hour of Code! The students I worked with last week on this and I both learned a lot about Ozobots, coding, and trouble shooting while having a blast.
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