Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


Northwestern U Partners with Illinois District on Hour of Code Activities

Northwestern University has partnered with Evanston/Skokie School District 65 on an initiative to introduce students to programming in conjunction with the Hour of Code.

"Billed as the 'largest learning event in history,' Hour of Code kicks off Computer Science Education Week, held December 8 through December 12," according to a news release. "The activities are designed to introduce youngsters to computer science, demystify coding and demonstrate that anyone can learn the basics."

As part of the initiative, students at District 65 will take part in activities such as app development, game development or introductory lessons in Javascript or other programming languages in their science, library or media arts classes.
Graduate student volunteers from Northwestern's chemistry, engineering and computer science departments, among others, will assist teachers and work with students.

"Virtually every field these days involves computing, so introducing students to coding at a young age is a great way to get them excited about pursuing this skill both in and out of school," said Kemi Jona, director of the Office of STEM Education Partnerships (OSEP) and professor of learning sciences and computer science at Northwestern, in a prepared statement.

Organized by code.org, last year's hour of code included 15 million student participants. The goal for this year, the program's second, is to reach 100 million. The Northwestern partnership with District 65 is expected to include approximately 2,000 middle school students.

"The coding activities will engage students through creativity and problem solving and will infuse the science and engineering practices that are a critical part of the Next Generation Science Standards, the new Illinois learning standards for science," said District 65 STEM Director Jesch Reyes, in a prepared statement.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • businessman holding tablet with holographic AI icons

    Google Moves AI Agents into the Mainstream

    At its recent I/O developer conference, Google presented artificial intelligence agents not as a distant research project, but as a product strategy spanning Search, personal assistants, productivity software, developer tools, and smart glasses.

  • closeup of hands using smart phone

    Learning Continuity Built into the LMS Withstands Cloud or Cybersecurity Interruptions

    When your institution's administrative or instructional capabilities face disruption from natural, technical, or malicious events, what measures does your LMS offer to provide a "business as usual" operating and learning environment? Instructure's Ryan Lufkin comments on the LMS and learning continuity.

  • Digital cyberspace with particles and Digital data

    Report: AI Is Moving Faster than Data Trust

    AI agents are already in use or pilot at most organizations, but data visibility, governance and precision recovery capabilities have not kept pace, according to Veeam's new Data & AI Trust Gap report.

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Introduces Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.