Special thanks to all the teachers and administrators who took time to introduce students to coding during the recent Hour of Code week. The campaign brought attention to the need for all students to understand computational thinking and will help bring attention to education policy and decision makers on the need to make computer science “count” towards graduation.

In a single week, students at schools across the U.S. wrote 500,000,000 lines of code as part of Computer Science Education Week, organizers said.  

Many of our teachers in California answered the call. An article in US NEWS, reported students at Foshay Tech Academy in Los Angeles taught parents how to code. At Augustus Hawkins Critical Design and Gaming School in Los Angeles, students participating in Exploring Computer Science, a yearlong college prep program, taught their own teachers to code.

As you look ahead to next year, take time to consider adopting new exceptional programs that promote computational thinking: Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and the C-STEM Center at UC Davis. Both of these programs offer exceptional professional development for teachers and excellent curriculum to help students learn the knowledge and skills for high-paying jobs in the Information and Communication Technologies sector.  Students can begin learning about using computers in Elementary and Middle School. High school courses should prepare students for college and careers. For information about these programs, contact:

PLTW State Leader

Dr. Duane Crum
College of Engineering, SDSU
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego CA 92182-1326
Email: dcrum@engineering.sdsu.edu
Cell: (858) 414-6534
 
C-STEM Director

Dr. Harry H. Cheng, Professor, PhD, FASME
Director, Integration Engineering Laboratory
University of California, One Shields Avenue,
Davis, CA 95616
Email: hhcheng@ucdavis.edu
Phone:  (530)752-5020