As part of Computer Science Education Week, every Southeast Polk student across the district is participating in the largest learning event in history. The Hour of Code. Technology is transforming every industry around the world. We know that regardless of what our students do when they grow up, whether they go into medicine, business, politics, or the arts, knowing how to build technology will give them confidence and a competitive edge. Millions of students in 180 different countries have participated in this event.
Last year, the state of Iowa adopted computer science standards for grades kindergarten through high school. In addition to Computer Science Education Week activities, all of our students engage in robotics and coding activities throughout the year, including these Project Lead the Way computer science units:
Kindergarten PLTW: Animals and Algorithms – Students explore the nature of computers and the ways humans control and use technology. Starting with an unplugged activity, students learn about the sequential nature of computer programs. Then, students work in small groups to design and program a simple digital animation about an animal in its habitat.
Fourth Grade PLTW “Input/Output: Computer Systems” In this exploration of how computers work, students are encouraged to make analogies between the parts of the human body and parts that make up a computer. Students investigate reaction time as a measure of nervous system function. Students apply what they have learned to build their own reaction-time measurement devices on tablets.
Jamie Gilchrist, Technology Integration Coordinator shared, “Our district has been fortunate to obtain a variety of PLTW, coding and robotics resources from our community through Facebook and Prairie Meadows grants. As teachers become more comfortable with these resources, students will have more opportunities to code throughout their school experience.”
Pictured are students coding bee-bots
