For almost a decade, we have dedicated a full day of school to our “Day of Code” for the fifth through seventh graders, and wow has it grown to be one of the highlights of the year. When we started this annual event, it was teachers helping students to immerse themselves in computer programming. Now, it’s students who run the workshops. All classes are canceled for the day to provide an exciting opportunity for students to dive into computer programming. The library, auditorium, and classrooms transform for the day into our own Silicon Valley.
It runs much like a conference where students request to present a lesson to teach their fellow classmates. Programming languages included Scratch, JavaScript, Python, Pixel Pad, Free Code Camp, and more. Over one hundred plus students participated, and the concentration and focus on coding took off at a fever pitch. With each new coding challenge, students used their ingenuity and passion. Our student instructors donned the stage to become the teachers, and they used their expertise to help others get hooked on coding as true professionals.
It is a reminder that the world our learners operate in everyday is one where digital literacy and computational thinking is crucial. For them, not knowing the language of computers can create the same challenges as being illiterate. Learning to code builds strong computational thinking skills to break down larger problems into a series of smaller ones that are easier to manage. Overall, it was a day – not just of code – but of real world learning, something that cannot be underestimated in today’s high-tech world.
