The creators of Pokemon Go and Snapchat had to start somewhere, and seventh graders at Gateway Middle School got a taste Thursday during the Hour of Code.
Digital programmers from Hart Inc., a Maumee-based communications firm, worked with students in Amy Stough’s computer literacy class. In addition to introducing kids to coding, the professionals hoped to convey a simple message: it’s not as tough as it looks.
“We’re trying to expand the sphere of influence in technology,” Hart programmer Greg Krabach said. “A lot of people think technology is hard to get into.
“This is giving the kids an idea of what it takes to get into technology, whether it’s robotics, programming, or game development,” Mr. Krabach added.
Students played Code Combat, similar to a video game. They guided an adventurer through a dangerous dungeon, collected treasure, and vanquished the villains to save the villagers.
With every move students commanded the hero to make, they were simultaneously creating code.
“The students are completely engaged,” Ms. Stough said. “I hope they can see that it’s relatively easy and not scary.”
Olivia Peters was one of about 25 students in Ms. Stough’s class who had her first coding lesson. She liked the consistency of the game, and said it was easier than she anticipated.
“When something was established in the game, it didn’t change,” Olivia said. “Only more was added onto it. I kind of flew through the levels.”
Hour of Code is part of Computer Science Education Week. More than 100 million students across 180 countries are participating. Code.org created the event to demystify coding and pique interest in computer science.
“It started off pretty simple,” Ms. Stough said. “I think three or four years ago, they made their names sparkle on the page, now they're coding games. So it’s become way more related to what they're doing in their world.”
As reliance on technology increases, so do job opportunities in the field. Mr. Krabach said coding can be used in a number of different careers.
“Jobs range anywhere from some of the more simple jobs like web development, to robotics development,” he said. “Anything from Microsoft or Google. Or NASA. Pretty much every company has programming opportunities.”
Ms. Stough’s class works with movies, photo editing, and slideshows, along with Google products.
“I like that it opens a whole new world of things we can’t touch, but are still there,” Olivia said.
Contact Jay Skebba at: jskebba@theblade.com, 419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.
First Published December 9, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
