FM Community Hour of Code
Kids: come learn some code! Parents: come learn along with them!
Our FM Community Hour of Code kicks off the nationwide Week of Code (Dec. 5-11) with an opportunity to complete the Hour of Code with mentors, hear from alumni and students who code, and learn about the local organizations and companies that support computer science literacy. (Get info about the national event and the exercises we’ll do at http://hourofcode.com).
The Need
As you may know, there is a huge need for coding/programming/computer science skills in the workforce currently, and it’s anticipated that we’ll have 1 million job vacancies to fill by the year 2020. Furthermore, it’s of particular importance to increase diversity in this field. From hourofcode.org:
“The fields of software, computing and computer science are plagued by tremendous underrepresentation of women, African Americans, and Hispanics. In high school, the Advanced Placement exam in Computer Science has the worst gender diversity across all courses, with 78 percent participation by men and 22 percent by women. Participation by students of color is 13 percent. These underrepresented groups represent 65 percent of the entire US population!“
MSUM’s Unique Parent Approach
The typical format during National Hour of Code week is that teachers or experts go into the elementary/middle schools/high school classroom during the school week and have the students complete the Hour of Code tutorials. This is a great national movement. However, MSUM’s Community Hour of Code approach is different. We invite the parent(s)/caregivers along to do the Hour of Code with their children, in a supportive group setting with mentors. (Do note that it’s not required that parents come…)
It’s an informative family event, with a presentation by our faculty on the importance of these skills, as well as short lightning talks during lunch by MSUM alumni and local professionals who work in the field. Not only do the children get exposed to the value, but the parents do as well. Understanding enables the parent to become a partner in their child’s pursuit of this incredible life/career skill, and hopefully an advocate for computer science being taught along with core curriculum. If a parent doesn’t work in field, they’re often in the dark about why their child might want to pursue this, or its value.
Who’s invited
Students (ages 7+) families, and community members are all welcome to join in the event.
Please let us know who will be attending including number of adults and children. Please RSVP by December 2 at eventbrite.com.
Thanks and looking forward to coding with you!