Albany High students experimented with the new Star Wars and Minecraft tutorials that are great for high school students, especially the Star Wars JavaScript version and the free play level on both tutorials (click here to see Star Wars Building a Galaxy with Code: https://code.org/starwars). AHS students learned that computer science jobs are the highest-paying jobs for new graduates. Jobs in this sector are growing three times faster than the number of computer science graduates, and more than 50 percent of all math and science jobs are for computer scientists.
Albany Middle School staff offered the opportunity to any student interested in learning to code. Even students not interested in computing as a career option were exposed to computational thinking that is an important skill set across disciplines.
Elementary Schools students benefited from the Hour of Code because exposing students to computer science and coding early begins to build a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path. Students are learning early that computer science and coding is a creative, inspiring process that also helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. Staff reported that at times, you could hear a pin drop, and at others times excitement punctuated with "Oh, I get it!"
AUSD students and staff had a great week celebrating Hour of Code. A special thank you to AUSD staff and parent volunteers for their efforts to ensure that AUSD students had the opportunity to participate in the Hour of Code and learn computer science skills.