Skip To Content
UCDSB Students Participate in Nationwide Hour of Code
UCDSB Students Participate in Nationwide Hour of Code
Posted on 12/09/2021
UCDSB Logo

December 9, 2021 (Kemptville, ON) – This week, more than 30 classrooms from 28 different schools in the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) are dedicating at least one hour of class time to coding activities. The Hour of Code, which runs from Dec. 6-10 this year in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week, is a global movement that introduces Kindergarten to Grade 12 students to STEM and computer programming concepts.

“It’s important for our students to become familiar with coding, computer science and other technologies so that they are equipped with the digital skills they need to be successful,” says UCDSB Learning Partner Bryan Kearney.

On Wednesday, Dec. 8, Kearney led the 4/5/6 class at Kemptville Public School through the programming activity “Outbreak: Code your own Simulation.”

Using block coding on a computer, students worked through a series of challenges based on a real-world example – disease spread.

“This outbreak simulator fosters problem-solving skills using an example that students can relate to,” says Kearney.

Students built the code based on a set of instructions, made predictions on what they thought might happen, and tested their code to see if it ran properly.

The predictions included how long it might take for the disease to spread in different scenarios, how many people would contract the disease, and if different methods put in place would slow the spread.

“The great thing about the Hour of Code is that it doesn’t have to be a one-time thing,” says Kearney.

These self-guided activities are free and can be accessed year-round on the Hour of Code website, without downloading any additional software. There are activities for all levels and devices.

 

For more information, please contact:

April Scott-Clarke
Manager of Communications
Upper Canada District School Board
[email protected]

Website by SchoolMessenger Presence. © 2024 SchoolMessenger Corporation. All rights reserved.