Our Tonka Codes program is now in its sixth year. Starting last year, coding was added to the elementary report card. There is always coding going on in Minnetonka elementary classrooms, so in a way, every week is the Hour of Code. However, each December we participate in the International Hour of Code along with schools around the world, and last month was no different. We set a 5,000 hour goal for the Hour of Code week and students in our district ended up with a total of 6,481 hours of coding! Every single school coded higher than one hour per student on average. A big thanks to our participating teachers and to our Elementary Tonka Codes Teacher on Special Assignment, Tarah Cummings, for leading this effort!
Below is a sampling of what I saw while visiting each of our six of our elementary schools during the Hour of Code Week and posted to Twitter. A few of our schools organized special coding parties and events with parent volunteers. Many teachers paired up with buddy classes in which older grades helped younger students with coding such as fourth graders helping kindergartners. There were also high school volunteers who helped elementary students learn coding. One of the common themes I saw was collaboration and communication. Very rarely is coding done in isolation--even when students are individually doing a task or working on a program on their own device, they are almost always trouble shooting with others and helping one another out.
Below is a sampling of what I saw while visiting each of our six of our elementary schools during the Hour of Code Week and posted to Twitter. A few of our schools organized special coding parties and events with parent volunteers. Many teachers paired up with buddy classes in which older grades helped younger students with coding such as fourth graders helping kindergartners. There were also high school volunteers who helped elementary students learn coding. One of the common themes I saw was collaboration and communication. Very rarely is coding done in isolation--even when students are individually doing a task or working on a program on their own device, they are almost always trouble shooting with others and helping one another out.
Excelsior Elementary musical stairway made w/@MakeyMakey & @Scratch coded by @AmiVincent45 @TonkaSchools for #HourOfCode week! Reminds me of Tom Hanks in Big- Chopsticks anyone? #coding #edchat #edtech https://t.co/HsYOAGpATP pic.twitter.com/zXJTtZmmBI— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 11, 2019
Student @ Excelsior Elementary #coding activities for #HourOfCode week: making music and programming @EdisonRobots through a maze! @AmiVincent45 @TonkaSchools #edchat #edtech https://t.co/VHWvDuW1Te pic.twitter.com/uRO6712cYh— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 11, 2019
First Graders coding with @Sphero at Scenic Heights Elementary for#HourOfCode @TonkaSchools this morning with @melinda_barry Ms. Anderson #coding #edchat #edtech https://t.co/OV8mUBYKz5 pic.twitter.com/tkSlVLAnQ6— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 10, 2019
First Graders coding with @GRVLibrary at Groveland Elementary for #HourOfCode @TonkaSchools this afternoon learning repeat loops. Grade five students studying the how a computer works using their @Schoology course #coding #edchat #edtech https://t.co/i5NTDVNm2O pic.twitter.com/WefMT6USt1— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 11, 2019
#HourOfCode at Minnewashta Elementary w/ @edutechy31 @TonkaSchools using @hopsterTV @ScratchJr and more! #edtech #edchat #iPaded @cgandress https://t.co/SKxrK3RADp pic.twitter.com/JRHOxbUlIJ— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 11, 2019
Collaborative #coding in fifth grade at Clear Springs Elementary with art, band, choir, orchestra and media teachers @Miley_Media using the @TonkaSchools Framework @Sphero @Ozobot #HourOfCode #creativity #engagement #criticalthinking #edtech #iPaded https://t.co/2363mZ8qEU pic.twitter.com/9DedXx2PGf— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 11, 2019
#HourOfCode kicks off this week @TonkaSchools with hundreds of hours of learning! Deephaven Elementary held an after school #coding party with @KelliLWhiteside Ms. Lunzer & parent coders using @kodable @codesparkapp @lightbotcom @codeorg #edchat #edtech https://t.co/RY21w4JzRC pic.twitter.com/4CNFlBjQr7— Dave Eisenmann (@DaveEisenmann) December 9, 2019
In addition to these highlights, almost 50 elementary teachers shared what they did by posting a summary and photos to our Elementary Coding Schoology Group. There were so many great coding experiences! As I wrote at the start, these happen weekly for our K-5 students since coding is part of curriculum. To learn more about coding in Minnetonka K-12, please see some of the related posts listed below:
Photo Recap: 7,300+ Hours of December Coding in Minnetonka Schools
- Minnetonka’s Coding Program for Every K-5 Student Now Assessed on Report Cards
- Why Teach Coding? Same Reasons to Teach Writing Even When Not All Students Will Be Writers
- Behind the Code: Using Spheros in Middle School for Deeper Learning
- Beyond Coding and Computer Science in Schools: The Need for Computer Ethics
- Paperless Hall Passes in School: There's a (Student Made) App For That
- What Are Minnetonka Teachers Learning About This Summer? A Lot--During Our Professional Development Classes!
- Over 20% of Minnetonka Teachers Are Learning Online This Summer
- The Hub: Minnetonka Makerspaces Launch
- Dancing Robots Programmed in Grade 6 STEM Class
- Video Game Design and Computer Coding at High School
- Minnetonka Linear Algebra 8th Graders Use Bootstrap to Code
- More Than an Hour of Code: Tonka Coding & Computer Science Programs Now in Year Three
- 7,843 Hours of Coding this Week @TonkaSchools
- Computer Coding Starting in Kindergarten
- Minnetonka Elementary Coding
- Details about the Curriculum and Program
- What's Cool in Our School
- Minnetonka Summer Coding Camp
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