Mission, Texas- Last school year, Mission CISD (Consolidated Independent School District) schools led the way in participation in the Code the Town project headed by the Mission EDC. This year, Mission CISD plans to build on the growing interest by focusing on computer coding once again during Computer Science Education week (December 7-13) by participating in the global Hour of Code movement, www.hourofcode.com. The Hour of Code is designed to give students a one-hour introduction to computer sciences and to demystify computer coding by showing that anyone can learn the basics. Another resource being used for the Hour of Code is www.code.org.
“This continues a focus we have had for quite some time on coding and the computer sciences,” said Dr. Ricardo López, superintendent. “When students start to get a taste of some of these types of things, it helps guide them as they decide paths to take to prepare them for college and careers.”
Dr. López also said something like this can really help junior high students as they start to think about high school endorsements. He said it can also have an impact for those who may have already chosen an endorsement area in high school. “We want to try to provide opportunities to explore as many areas as possible to help students discover their strengths and broaden their vision of their futures.”
Mission CISD has incorporated STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) initiatives, beginning in the elementary grades. These can be natural leads into the district’s official Texas-STEM Academy, the only Career-Tech Early College High School program in Western Hidalgo County, Mission Collegiate High School, or STEM related endorsements and other programs that provide for high school and college credits.
Some Mission CISD teachers have started using Google’s CS First which provides materials for computer science enrichment programs for students (www.cs-first.com).
Coding really began to take hold in Mission CISD when the district started to take advantage of a Mission EDC initiative called Code the Town. Work started by students in Code the Town has resulted in the formation of campus groups like one called We Speak Code. The district continues to work with Mission EDC to help expose students to the opportunities available in technology, engineering, and manufacturing.
Pictured are sixth grade students as they worked on their Hour of Code on December 7, 2015.
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