NCCE and the Tech-Savvy Teachers are proud to celebrate the Hour of Code this week.  Throughout the week, we will be visiting teachers, professionals and schools throughout the Pacific Northwest to talk about code events around our region and novel ways to reimagine lessons or even whole classes with a focus on logic, problem-solving and code.

To get started this week, we’d like to start with this excellent TEDx talk from Jeff Patterson, the Director of Informational Technology in the Great Falls Public Schools, called “Code is Beautiful:”

In the same way we celebrate poetry, the essay, short stories, pictures, songs, symphonies and even skill in a school, we should celebrate code and the language that enables the world-changing revolution around us.

Are you coming late to this celebrate and want to get your students involved this week?  Here is a starter’s guide to help you along your way:

The Hour of Code website is an excellent place to get started!  It describes the philosophy behind the worldwide event and provides links to excellent tutorials to help get students started.

Code.org has excellent, full courses for K-12 students, including full curriculum guides for classes in Computer Science.

CodeHS offers instructional materials with a support infrastructure to help teachers integrate those materials in the classroom.

Kahn Academy offers excellent courses in JavaScript and making webpages.

Microsoft Imagine has excellent resources and tools to start students in thinking about making apps and games.

How are YOU celebrating Hour of Code this week?  Hit us up in the comments, or find us on Twitter!

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