Green Dot Students Join Nationwide Chat with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey
On Tuesday, December 9, students from Green Dot Public Schools helped kick off a week of events promoting computer science education as part of the “Hour of Code” that has more than 35,000 classroom sessions planned nationwide this week.
Ánimo Westside Charter Middle School, students participated with students from six other classes in a live video chat with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, one of a number of video chats with high-tech leaders held for only 100 classes nationwide. Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School, Ánimo Mae Jemison Charter Middle School, and Ánimo Ralph Bunche Charter High School also have sessions planned this week.
“Whatever field our students choose to study in college, their ability to succeed in life will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology applies to chosen field of study,” said Cristina de Jesus, President and CEO of Green Dot Public Schools California. “The Hour of Code is one way we are helping students across our network learn how to navigate today’s tech-saturated world. We’re so thankful we have dedicated teachers who look for opportunities like these to enhance our students’ learning.”
The Hour of Code was founded by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. The goal of Code.org is for every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science, and it promotes making computer science and computer programming part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry, and algebra.
The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. Since its founding in 2013, Code.org has hosted nearly 67,000 “Hour of Code” events worldwide. As part of Computer Science Education week, Code.org is attempting to introduce 100 million students to computer science.
“Today’s students need to be equipped with the tools and abilities to prepare them to be tomorrow’s leaders,” said Ánimo Westside’s technology instructor Jonathon Levin, who organized his class’ participation in the Hour of Code kickoff. “Given the current trends in technology, coding skills not only prepare students for the demands of 21st century jobs, but equip them with the tools to be digital innovators and creators.”