#HourofCode
Code, Create, and Conquer with FLVS Hour of Code
By Katie Hodgins on December 12th, 2023
As a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) student since 6th grade, Omar has always been interested in technology. His interest and some prodding from his older brother led Omar to join the FLVS Technology Club and enroll in coding classes. Last year, after multiple trials, challenges, recommendations, and inspiration from fellow club members and sponsors, Omar created his very own online game. Fast forward to this year as a freshman in Full Time High School, he’s the reigning president of the Technology Club and was a featured presenter at the 2023 FLVS Hour of Code, an event that occurs every year at the beginning of December.
Continue readingLearn How Coding Can Help You Create Your Own Video Game During Hour Of Code 2022
By Katie Hodgins on December 1st, 2022
Get ready for the global movement! Over 180 countries participate in the annual Hour of Code, where you can dive into the world of Minecraft, create your own Star Wars game, or even build your own custom face filter for social media. Join your fellow Florida Virtual School (FLVS) students and millions more from around the world for one (or more!) hours to learn the basics of computer science on December 5-8.
Continue readingWhat Will You Create? Join FLVS for Hour of Code
By Florida Virtual School on November 30th, 2021
You’ve probably spent hours playing video games, learning new dances from social media, or staying in touch with friends and families thanks to video chat. Often all in the same day or on the same device. But have you ever wondered how those games or apps are created? Or who created them and how they work?
Continue readingCatching Up with a Computer Science Expert
By Guest Blogger on December 9th, 2016
To get a better idea of what Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code is all about, FLVS Content Writer Irene Pynn-Cunha sat down to chat with Amie Ross, FLVS Computer Science instructor.
Mrs. Ross looks forward to Computer Science Education Week every year. In the past, she’s worked with students both online and face to face. She loves watching mental light bulbs go off all around the room as, one by one, students who thought they would never learn to code begin solving programming puzzles.
“When something works,” she says, “the excitement on their faces, that’s really cool.”
This year, she’ll be helping students with one of her favorite puzzles: a storybook about Santa’s missing socks. It may seem like a simple exercise, but by the end, students discover they’ve just worked through a challenging computer science concept: the binary search.
Mrs. Ross says one of the great benefits of Computer Science Education Week and Hour of Code is that participants “tackle very complicated concepts without even realizing it.” In many ways, this is the key to showing students that programming actually is for anyone. In fact, she says, programming is a heavily creative field. “I’ve watched a lot of students really surprise themselves,” she says. “There isn’t just one type of person who gets into programming.” Continue reading
Coding Workshops Help Elementary Teachers Revolutionize Classrooms
By Guest Blogger on July 13th, 2016
Back in 2013, twin brothers Hadi and Ali Partovi started Code.org with the goal of expanding access to computer science to all students.
Their vision is that “every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science.” They also believe that computer science “should be part of core curriculum, alongside other courses such as biology, chemistry or algebra.”
Since that time, Code.org has blossomed into a full organization that supports access to computer science for students of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. Continue reading
Join an Hour of Code!
By Guest Blogger on November 23rd, 2015
Computers are everywhere, but fewer schools teach computer science than 10 years ago.
The good news is, we’re on our way to change this. If you’ve heard about the Hour of Code before, you might know it made history. More than 100 million students have tried an Hour of Code with fun online games and tutorials featuring Star Wars, Minecraft, and Frozen.
This year, students of the FLVS STEM Club will give presentations about creating websites and more. Last year, every Apple Store in the world hosted an Hour of Code and even President Obama wrote his first line of code as part of the campaign.
Over 100 partners have joined together to support this movement. Continue reading