Coding is 'like playing,' young programers say

By Ginny Privitar
CHESTER — During Computer Science Education Week in December, Chester Elementary School students took part in the Worldwide Hour of Code,
The children practiced at different times during the week. The younger kids worked on games like Minecraft and Angry Birds. They selected from a menu of individual code instructions, then entered them in the correct order to make the characters move around on the screen and do different activities.
Second-grader Owen Bayley, in teacher Lori Bonito's class, worked on a Minecraft game.
“What I like is that you’re the one that’s controlling things — like making the chicken run," he said.
Other activities included building a structure, or gathering up sheep and shearing them onscreen. But the games and coding exercises were teaching them so much more: problem-solving skills, math, logic, and creativity. When something didn’t work, the students learned to “debug” their program.
Amalia Hernandez said she likes code “because you can move stuff from here." She showed how she could manipulate sheep on the screen.
“I love Minecraft," said Logan DeCastro, who is very enthusiastic about coding. "You have something to accomplish.”
He especially likes to drop “diamonds and emeralds” when the onscreen character dies..
Cali Vento said, “I like to get flocks" of sheep. Her seatmate, Olivia Zottola, said, “I like to move the character around and get blocks. You can use the blocks and go forward and drag them.”
Arnav Sinha likes that the game is “all about building." He thinks he may like to work as a programmer someday.
Christian Lugo appreciates getting to play “Angry Birds,” and also thinks he might like computer programming as a future profession.
A foundation for successLater, in Jeffrey Knight’s fourth-grade class, student Gianna Hoehn said she likes coding because "you don’t feel like you’re trying to figure things out — you just feel like you’re playing a game."
Kwadwo Osei Kwanin, whose nickname is Jojo, said he likes “how you can move and do stuff."
“It depends on what level you’re doing or what game you’re playing," Jojo said. He hopes to be an engineer when he grows up.
Monali Verma, a computer lab aide and programmer, assisted students in both classes.
According to Ed Spence, K-12 Director of Instruction and Technology, the older students at Chester Academy practice with drawing, web pages, and database exercises from the Kahn Academy website for the “Hour of Code,” and incorporate them into their regular classwork.
The Hour of Code is an annual worldwide event held in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, born Dec. 9, 1906. The hour-long introduction is designed to demystify code by showing that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the computer science field. The worldwide celebration, now in more than 180 countries, starts with the one hour of coding but has expanded to include all sorts of community efforts. Tutorials and activities offered are online as well.
By starting early in computer science, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.
For more information visit khanacademy.org/hourofcode.