Brunswick partnered with
code.org, as the school has done every December since 2014, to celebrate Computer Science Education Week across all divisions.
The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, using fun tutorials to show that anybody can learn the basics. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide.
But according to Sunil Gupta, chair of the computer science department, the Hour of Code stretches far beyond that one-hour introduction.
“One hour isn’t enough to learn how to code,” Gupta said.
“It's about increasing access to computer science by breaking stereotypes and opening doors. Somebody may learn programming concepts like loops, conditionals, or basic debugging through the Hour of Code. But a much more important goal is for students and teachers to learn that computer science is logical and fun — you can start at any age, in any setting, even if you don’t have a computer.”
Many “lightbulb” moments occurred throughout the week as students tried out a bunch of challenging and fun coding activities and games — all designed to teach computational thinking, not just how-to code.
Students ultimately learned to become better thinkers and communicators, while honing their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
“It was a joy to see so many students, teachers, and parents explore, play, and create — some for the very first time — as they participated enthusiastically in our Hour of Code activities.”