Some Carver Elementary students celebrated Computer Science Education week last Friday by participating in the “Hour of Code,” a nation-wide campaign to generate interest in computer science and programming.
In one hour, students created and controlled games using only computer code. Carver’s effort was organized by fifth-grade teacher Amber Jones.
“Coding is not only fun, but it also helps develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills,” Jones said. “Kids today know how to use computers, but it’s also important to learn how a computer works.  Many of these kids want jobs in engineering, animation and other fields that require them to be tech-savvy.”
Carver Elementary is hoping to take things a step further and create a Tech Club next semester, in which kids can stay after school to learn code.
“We want to help students prepare for middle and high-school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities and other necessary skills to be successful,” Jones said.
To learn more about coding, go to code.org.