All Yavneh Academy students participated in the Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week. This was the third year that Yavneh was a part of this worldwide initiative that allowed students the opportunity to experience coding. Although this initiative is only in its fourth year, it has reached over 300 million students in more than 180 countries. Schools that took part in the Hour of Code are looking forward to the future, and introduced children to skills which will be needed when they enter the workforce. By participating in the Hour of Code, Yavneh students are a part of the global experience.

Many of the students at Yavneh Academy had experienced the Hour of Code twice before, therefore, this year, the school’s technology lab created many different coding opportunities for children to experience. This “fair-like” atmosphere allowed students to choose from various coding options.

The middle school students partnered with the younger students while they programmed different types of robots. The “finches” were programmed to follow the mazes on the floor and the “pro-bots” were programmed to write the students’ initials. Yavneh’s youngest students coded using the Kodable app and ScratchJr. app.

Those students who chose to use Tynker.com or Code.org websites were totally engaged and involved in writing code. Other students were involved in learning about binary coding and created binary name bracelets using various color beads. Unplugged computer science was also a popular activity. Students coded other students to follow a path on a literacy floor mat.

Khan Academy, Scratch, Javascript and several other languages and sites were used by the experienced coders, who code in school on a regular basis.

Giving students the opportunity to experience choices during their coding sessions brought a new dimension and excitement to the Hour of Code. Although the week is over, coding continues to be in popular demand at Yavneh Academy.