More
than 650 students at Buffalo Creek Elementary School will learn the basics of
computer programming through a special “Hour of Code” program planned on
Friday, Dec. 13, at this Spring Branch ISD (SBISD) campus. Hundreds and
hundreds of other students across SBISD will be learning how to program simple
digital games and videos, too.
This
massive programming code lesson for all Buffalo Creek students was made
possible, in part, through advance planning and registration by second-grade
bilingual teacher and campus technology representative Hector Garza.
Through
his sign-up efforts, Hector was named the only winning teacher in Texas and his
campus was awarded $10,000 for student laptops and iPads through the nonprofit
organization Code.org, which focuses on introducing the logic skills involved
in computer science and programming into classrooms nationwide – and beginning
in early grades.
Buffalo
Creek Elementary’s “Hour of Code” will be one in hundreds of school events
sponsored across SBISD and the nation. During Computer Science Education Week,
Dec. 9-15, students in schools across America will learn the basics of computer
science for one hour. These lessons are designed to demystify computer “code” and
show that learning code is a fun learning curve, just like learning to
read or count, and should now begin at an early age.
Elsewhere
in SBISD, classrooms representing than 2,000 students at the elementary, middle
and high school level have registered for the “Hour of Code” event.
Participating campuses may include Westwood Elementary, Memorial and Spring
Forest middle schools and Spring Woods and Memorial high
schools.
The
American Association of University Women (AAUW) – West Harris County Branch
plans to sponsor a related celebration at Westwood Elementary School. According
to research compiled by AAUW and other national groups, women remain enormously
underrepresented in the science, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
On
Thursday, Dec. 12, three AAUW trainers and the district’s educational
technology director will provide professional development to teachers in SBISD
on integrating coding into lessons or centers for STEM robots. The public is
invited to attend. (See below)
All
26 district elementary schools are bringing coding to kindergarten, first-, or
second-grade students this year. In addition, a set of robotic Bee-Bots, coding
cards and mats have been issued to at least one teacher at each SBISD
elementary school this year. Bee-bots are easily programmable floor robots that
children love to play with and program. The AAUW has supported other
professional development efforts involving Bee-Bots and student
programming.
At
Buffalo Creek, Hector Garza wasn’t the only surprised person when he learned
that the school had won the big prize. His principal was astonished, too.
"When
Hector initially talked to me about the Hour of Code, signing us up to
participate, and that there was a chance for us to win $10,000, well, I just
smiled and thought that the experience of learning about programming would be
beneficial enough for our students. So you can imagine my reaction when
he told me a few weeks later that BCE had won the funds! It’s a very nice
gift,” Principal David Rodriguez said.
Beginner
one-hour tutorials for the “Hour of Code” event range from drag and drop
programming using Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies to an introduction to
JavaScript and even Python programming scripts written for children.
Buffalo
Creek students will work in one-hour shifts in the school library and in two
learning pods during the “Hour of Code” program.
Hector
Garza, who has taught 11 years at Buffalo Creek, is the campus technology
representative and ActivBoard trainer. He registered the school through a
well-known online fundraising group called Donorschoose.org. School Librarian
Carol Lee helped write the winning proposal.
On
Nov. 18, the Buffalo Creek teacher and staff learned that Code.org had awarded
the SBISD campus $10,000 for student laptop and iPad purchases.
“This
achievement means a lot to me. I’ve been in technology here all these years and
we’ve struggled at times to purchase equipment. This grant will help integrate
technology into the school. I’m especially happy for the students of Buffalo
Creek Elementary, which was the main reason for participating,” he said.
“All of us at BCE are not only grateful to Hector
for signing us up for the Hour of Code and the winnings that resulted from our
participation, we’re also thankful for the diligent job he’s done in
researching and choosing the technology that will augment what we already
have,” Principal Rodriguez said.
“This will provide our teachers the opportunity to
further enhance their instruction and broaden our students’ learning.
We’re also very appreciative of what Donorschoose.org has done for our
school and especially our students,” the principal also said.
For more details on topics explored here and Computer Science Education Week, please visit:
During the AAUW-sponsored professional development event on Dec. 12, community members are welcome to observe or to sign up as Coding Mentors for later volunteer placement.
To learn more or to RSVP for that event, please call SBISD’s Educational Technology Dept. at 713-251-2329. All adult volunteers in SBISD must go through a registration process beforehand.
0 comments :
Post a Comment
Do you have feedback? Tell us.