The gym at C.F. Carr Elementary School played host to different types of exercises on Wednesday, Feb. 20, when Google took its CS First computer-coding curriculum to the campus.
CS First offers a free curriculum for teaching children how to code, even if the teachers themselves have no prior coding experience. CS First uses Scratch, a highly visual coding program that can serve as an accessible introduction to coding.
At Carr, facilitators from Google guided the students through a process that helped them create a story. The setting on the high seas let students choose a watercraft and characters, and showed them how to animate the waves, add sound effects and incorporate pop-up dialog between their characters.
As a result, the hope is that students will take away an excitement and interest in coding that could lead to launching a coding club at their school to opening up new possibilities for their future careers.
Google spokeswoman Jamie Hill said she hopes the CS First demonstration provides a bit of inspiration for Carr students.
“We hope they know that coding is fun, it’s exciting,” Hill said. “It can really apply to anything they are interested in.”
In the afternoon, Congressman Marc Veasey visited Carr to see the students’ coding in action.
“I want them to know that anyone can do it, it’s not just for certain people, it’s for everyone,” Hill said. “They know that there are great jobs out there, that there are opportunities to change the world and make it a better place. And that coding and computer science skills can help them achieve their dreams.”
