Computer Science 2020

            If you teach in Seminole County, you know what I am talking’ about! This year our school started Computer Science 2020. It’s a program adopted by Seminole County, which teaches students computer science technology skills. When this program first rolled out, I was extremely nervous at our training because it was something new. I also thought to myself, “Oh great something else to add to the list.”

            However, now that my class has completed seven lessons, I have had a change of heart. The students LOVE it and they are completely engaged at all times. The first few lessons focused on creating codes in which students would use to make a character complete a task. Then students worked toward implementing codes within games. Although students were challenged, they never gave up. I was able to experience the critical thinking piece of this project by watching each my students. I also enjoy the program because it teaches students the importance of learning from your mistakes. The coding requires students to try something and problem solve if they do not get it right the first time.

 My other concern with starting this project was the lack of technology. Each grade level at our school has a laptop cart in which they share with their teams. Our third grade team made a rotating schedule which determines a day and time of the week set aside for technology time. My class spends Monday afternoons working through our Computer Science lessons. Our school is very fortunate to have this technology offered to us. If your school does not have enough technology, students can work in pairs to complete these lessons. I have done this with my class and I was actually surprised with the results. Check out the Hour of Code website to get started on coding.

Does your school currently code? What are your experiences with Computer Science 2020 or coding?