Hour Of Code Research Paper

Over 1.4 million jobs will be available by 2020, but they are reserved for computer science workers, and only about 400,000 computer science students would predicted to be available at that time (Education Week, vol. 35, no. 34). Jobs in computer science are spreading more faster than any other fields, but only 22 percent of U.S. high school senior said that they have taken a computer science class. The reason why many students were not able to take these computer science classes is because their schools did not offer any. It is even worse for “students of color, low-income students, and rural students.” (Education Week, vol. 36, no. 1). U.S. schools should make more computer science courses available for students and because jobs are in a …show more content…
The Hour of Code aims to have schools offer computer sciences classes so that students are able to earn high school credit with those classes. According to Heitin, computer sciences class are also being pushed to act as a math or science credit, especially in Texas, Arizona, California, and Colorado (Education Week, vol. 36, no. 5). The Hour of Code helped introduce “tens of millions of children” to computer science, “with 244 million hours of code logged on Code.org curriculum” (Education Week, vol. 35, no. 34). School librarians in America are also helping students participate in the Hour of Code. It is held during Computer Science Education Week, annually. This movement helps introduce participants of all ages into computer science (School Library Journal). Introduced students are usually taught coding skills through applications such as Scratch (Tech & Learning). According to Richmond Elementary School, “kindergarteners and first graders used app such as ScratchJr”, and older students used Code.org (School Library Journal). I have participated in this event twice during high school, and it has helped me become more interested in the computer science because there were helpers who provided great information about computer science and the work field. There are always opportunities for hands-on experience, prizes, and personal conversations with …show more content…
The amount of demand for computer science workers have outweighed the supply, enough to be “paying almost twice as much as all other jobs” (Education Week, vol. 36, no. 1). In today’s economy, it is run mostly by technology, so most businesses are in need of computer skills. “Two-thirds of computer jobs are in non-technology industries, such as healthcare, banking, or manufacturing” (Education Week, vol. 35, no. 34). To have coding experience and an understanding of computer science is valuable, because one can then start “learning technology and analytical skills” to apply onto “a wide range of practical business applications.” (Education Week, vol. 35, no. 34). Again, learning computer science is not only about coding, it also involves “problem solving, logic, and critical thinking” (Education Week, vol. 35, no. 34). Computer science allows a student to learn other science and math skills. “Ninety percent of parents think that computer science is a good use of resources at the child’s school” (Education Week, vol. 35, no. 34). According to Trucano, Steve Jobs said that “coding teaches you how to think” (Tech &