All 525 Students in grades K-5 at Brook Knoll Elementary School in Scotts Valley this week joined their counterparts at Vine Hill Elementary and millions of other students across the world to participate in “The Hour of Code.”
That’s computer code. Down to the kindergarten level.
The week-long event is sponsored by Code.org and this is the second year Brook Knoll joined in the fun. And we mean fun.
A few comments from students: “It’s like a game, but I’m learning,” and “I can express myself.”
“Many of our students have soared beyond the basic snap-block coding,” said Kelly Utic, who manages the computer lab at the school.
It’s not all just fun. “I have seen the students grasp the concepts quickly and go to advanced levels of writing code,” she said.
“The skills learned in coding transfer over to other subjects, including writing, reading and math.”
Some of the advanced coding students mentored the younger grades.
The students in grades K-5 participated in the coding this week during their computer lab time, just 30 minutes per week. There they learn the foundation of computer skills, such as using the mouse, typing their name on a keyboard, then progress to internet, and cyber safety..
The Computer Lab program in Scotts Valley is funded by the Brook Knoll Education Connection, the parent organization for the school.
Students learned that writing computer code takes hard work and perseverance, Utic said.
On Friday, Dec. 9, Code Naturally (a local Santa Cruz startup) CEO Sukh Singh will visit 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classrooms and give them an in-depth lesson on coding.
“I’ve seen excitement and motivation as kids at every level have been engaged in learning how to code,” Utic said. “The kids really are grasping the concepts of it.”
At Vine Hill Elementary, Jennifer Rasmussen led similar programs.
