This year the event that aims to provide a coding experience for all school students and anyone else who wants to join in runs between December 9th and 15th and includes new activities. Let's find out all about it!

Hour Code, for those uninitiated, is a major worldwide event that aims to introduce millions of students to computer science through one-hour coding activities. Educators are encouraged to register and set up their own events that adopt those activities as well as to publicize them on the Hour of Code website to make them available to anyone aged from 4 to 104.

Last year's activities revolved around "Creativity with AI", designed to let students learn about computer science and artificial intelligence. This year's main focus is specifically on GenAI coupled with the grand activity of generating music by writing code and using AI. That involves remixing songs of your favorite artist's such as The Chainsmokers, Tinashe and Shakira! As Shakira sets it:

Computer Science is the new language of music

She uses it in the studio to produce new sounds and drive music production to new unexplored paths.

Of course music production aside, we all know why it is beneficial for kids to learn to code. Nowadays code is everywhere around us, from desktop computers to mobile phones and, thanks to with IoT, encompassing refrigerators and TV sets through to software driven cars and robots. As someone has to write code for controlling all those things, it's pretty obvious to assume that those with a solid background in coding will enjoy much better career opportunities than those one without.

However nowadays also, coding by itself is not enough anymore. In "AI for Oceans - Kids Use Computer Science For Good" we examined why the focus has shifted from mere coding to AI and Machine learning :

Teaching coding isn't enough any longer. Kids should also be taught the concepts of AI at the same time. Things evolve rapidly and familiarization with AI from school age is the new norm among the tech education industry. The coming generations should be able to cope in a landscape shaped by the 4th Industrial Revolution.

The reasoning goes that in the near future and in one way or another, AI will affect most aspects of our lives, therefore kids should not just become consumers of this technology, they also have to be able to work with it in order to create solutions which collectively will make the world a better place.

Therefore to cater for the future, the latest Hour Of Code activities are about AI and in particular, GenAI.

Saying that, there's many activities you can chose from and everyone who registers can upload his own. One such instance is the "Minecraft Hour of Code" which celebrates its 10th anniversary and does that with new tutorials in partnership with Code. org and Microsoft:

Step into the theater to save the day in Minecraft Hour of Code: The Show Must Go On! Find the show's missing star, unlock hidden gags, and interact with an ensemble cast. Help the Agent overcome stage fright as you solve coding puzzles backstage. Watch your coding skills shine in an epic final performance!

Sounds like fun, but underneath the fun you gain real benefits as you acquire The Power of Computational Thinking:

• Problem-solving: Breaking down complex challenges into manageable steps
  
  
• Critical thinking: Analyzing tricky situations and making logical decisions
  
  
• Creativity: Expressing themselves through unique digital creations
  
  
• Perseverance: Building grit as they debug and refine their code to nail their perfect performance!

These principles pertain to the Hour Of Code as a whole and you can discover assorted activities by visiting Code org's main site. 

As seen in Hour Of Code Goes Into Space, although the Hour of Code activities are always available, it is during Computer Science Education week that schools, clubs and other organizations put on special events and the year's new Hour of Code activities are unveiled.

So do you want to feel the excitement and play your own part in this year's event? Then go ahead and register!

More Information

Code.org

Hour Of Code activities

Hour Of Code Music Lab

Minecraft Hour Of Code

Related Articles

2023 Hour Of Code Announced

AI for Oceans - Kids Use Computer Science For Good

To be informed about new articles on I Programmer, sign up for our weekly newsletter, subscribe to the RSS feed and follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin.

Comments

Make a Comment or View Existing Comments Using Disqus

or email your comment to: comments@i-programmer.info