Students Code Up a Storm

It was a huge week for tech talk at the DSBN.

During Computer Science Education Week (Dec 5-11), students across the District School Board of Niagara blew past their goal of a collective one million minutes of code. In total, students spent over 1.9 million minutes coding! The Hour of Code is a global movement to introduce students to the fundamentals of computer science.

“Our goal for the is to have 17,000 students from 100 DSBN schools participate in the Hour of Code,” says Dino Miele, DSBN Chief Information Officer. “From smartphones to tablets and so much more, technology is everywhere in society. Having a solid understanding of these concepts will help prepare students to effectively navigate through the modern world.”

Those interested in keeping the momentum moving forward can find fun coding activities here: https://ihubniagara.ca/hour-of-code/ 

Although the Hour of Code may conjure up images of students programming in the various computer languages, Rosemary Jellinck, DSBN Student Achievement Leader, says the event offers much room for creative and fun exercises for students of all ages and experience. “Coding involves problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration. There are numerous different activities that students can participate in to develop those necessary skills.”

Supporting this initiative, the Code Mobile will be rolled into Niagara on Thursday, December 8, making stops at two DSBN schools. Basically a computer lab on wheels, the Code Mobile visited Welland’s Diamond Trail Public School at 10:00 a.m., followed by a visit to James Morden Public School in Niagara Falls at 1:30 p.m. The Code Mobile is an initiative of the Ladies Learning Code. The Code Mobile is travelling across Canada bringing hands-on interactive technology education to young people. 

Millions of students in over 180 countries are took part in the Hour of Code.