An Eye-Opening Hour of Code

by Ken Scherpelz
VP of Sales & Business Development

Though we rely on computer code nearly every hour of every day, many of us take programming for granted, thinking that since we’re computer literate and can use software, that’s all we need to know about it. But those working behind the scenes are the ones making our computer literacy possible, and there is a growing need for them in our technologically advanced world. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor (BLS), the employment of software developers is expected to grow 22 percent from 2012 to 2022, “much faster than the average for all occupations.” So despite the trillions of lines of code that have already been developed, the demand for new and more efficient code (and its programmers) will only increase.

A nonprofit called Code.org was started in 2013 with a twofold mission: to train more programmers and to increase the participation of more women and members of underrepresented groups in computer programming. The company is funded by a range of organizations, from small philanthropic family foundations to corporate giants such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon.com, Disney, Best Buy and JP Morgan Chase & Co. Its focus has been on K–12 education, where computer science has been largely absent from many curricula. During Computer Science Education Week in December 2014, millions of students were invited to participate in an Hour of Code, a global movement thought up by the creators of Code.org to encourage a jump-start in computer programming. While other websites also participated in the initiative, Code.org’s own contributions involved many free online tutorials that the company designed to introduce students to the basic concepts behind computer programming. For example, one tutorial teaches movement commands for Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen.

The methodology behind the Hour of Code is similar to that of the Logo programming language, which was first used in classrooms in the late ’60s and relies on turtle graphics to teach code. Both the Hour of Code and Logo tutorials lead students through a series of steps to achieve a visible, attainable (and sometimes interactive) goal. In this way, students can feel the accomplishment of seeing their programming produce actual results.

More than 90 million people participated in an Hour of Code, and those participants greatly varied from the average background of those in computer science. Code.org reports that in their online courses, 43 percent of the students are girls, and 37 percent are African American or Hispanic. Many schools in my area (Columbus, Ohio) have been taking part in these tutorials, including the classroom where my wife works with fourth- and fifth-grade students. She says that her students were excited to participate in the original Hour of Code, and many have gone on to work independently on additional tutorials. My wife also notes that many students have said they would someday like to create their own computer games and apps for smartphones.

Perhaps this single introductory hour of programming will spark a student’s interest in a career in programming. Maybe the combined enthusiasm shown by students and teachers toward this program will move school districts to introduce new computer science and programming curricula. Programming instructors have put forth that their students learn logic and problem-solving principles that can be useful in many types of classes and careers. A greater number of young, technology-using students in our schools are showing an interest in programming, and programming instruction is becoming cheaper and easier because of access to online courses. It appears this initial Hour of Code can indeed lay out the basic steps to wonderful careers while drawing into those careers a more diverse group of young programmers.

Interested in trying your own Hour of Code? Click here to learn about coding without signing up or register for free for access to multiple Hour of Code courses including the Frozen exercise.

Did You Know?

A major contributor to the early beginnings of computer programming was Ada Lovelace. In the mid-nineteenth century, she built upon the work of Charles Babbage, a mathematician and scientist who designed the first “computing engines,” and Italian engineer Luigi Menabrea, an Italian engineer who wrote about Babbage’s Analytical Engine. Lovelace’s notes regarding how the engine could be used in a step-by-step fashion to solve mathematical problems have caused some to consider her the first programmer. A forward thinker, Ada also foresaw the engine being used for tasks other than mathematical calculations, such as composing music.

Though her name often goes unheard, her father’s does not. Lovelace was the daughter of George Gordon Byron, more commonly known as Lord Byron, one of the most influential English poets during the Romantic period.