Did you know that less than half of the schools in the United States teach computer science? But don’t worry, that’s changing as more states are starting to include it in their curriculum. Many adults today didn’t learn coding when they were in school, but now kids are teaching them! In fact, I recently had the chance to show my governor how to code and share what I’ve learned.
During our coding session, I guided the governor through some basic coding tasks. We worked on a project in Minecraft, where we had to turn left, destroy a block, and shear a sheep. It was exciting to see the governor learn and complete these tasks successfully. It was a proud moment for me because I got to teach someone important how to code for the first time!
One of the governors mentioned that he was probably the only candidate in the country who used coding in a political ad. He was elected with a focus on making computer science a key part of education in Virginia. Now, computer science is a core requirement for students in elementary, middle, and high school there.
Learning to code is crucial because it helps us develop the skills needed for future tech jobs. By teaching computer science in schools, we can prepare students to contribute to the tech industry and boost our economy. States are working hard to expand programs like the Hour of Code to ensure more schools offer computer science.
Governors and states are playing a big role in promoting computer science education. If you’re a parent, teacher, student, or employer, it’s important to support this movement. By getting involved, you can help create opportunities for the next generation to learn about coding and technology.
Want to know what your state is doing to promote computer science? You can learn more by visiting code.org/promote and governorsforcs.org. A big thank you to all the students, parents, and teachers who made this event possible, and to organizations like Code.org, NGA, Microsoft, and the Computer Science Education Coalition for their support.
Imagine you’re teaching a governor how to code! Create a simple Minecraft project where you program a character to perform tasks like turning, destroying blocks, and interacting with animals. Share your project with classmates and explain the coding steps you used.
Investigate what initiatives your state has in place to promote computer science education. Prepare a short presentation to share with the class, highlighting key programs and how they benefit students like you.
Inspired by the governor who used coding in a political ad, create your own digital ad using basic coding skills. Focus on promoting computer science education and its importance for future careers. Present your ad to the class.
Participate in an Hour of Code activity. Choose a coding tutorial that interests you and complete it. Reflect on what you learned and how it could be applied in real-world scenarios. Share your experience with the class.
Work in groups to plan a school event that promotes computer science. This could be a coding workshop, a guest speaker session, or a tech fair. Outline the steps needed to organize the event and present your plan to the class.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Less than half of schools in the U.S. teach computer science, but that is changing state by state. I belong to a generation that didn’t learn coding, so these kids are teaching me. I’m here to show the governor how to code and share what I’ve learned through coding. Today, I’m going to be coding with my governor.
“Turn left again.”
“Wow, where are you getting all this knowledge? How do you know all of this?”
“I started this two years ago.”
“Now you need to destroy the block and shear the second sheep.”
“All right! We did it, yeah? Mission accomplished! We just did it!”
“You just did it? They taught it to me, and it was very effective. It’s my first ever line of code. I just taught Governor Hogan how to code in Minecraft.”
“I was probably the only candidate in America that ever used coding in a political ad. But I got elected on that; it was my signature issue. I’m very proud that in Virginia, we just made computer science a core requirement for elementary, middle, and high school.”
“We can be in all parts of our country and have the talent to develop the tech businesses that we need to drive our economy in the future. We’re competitive like all the other states, and we’re doing everything we can to build out the Hour of Code and ensure we reduce the percentage of schools that aren’t offering computer science.”
“I believe that collectively, the states and governors can help make this happen. If you are a parent, educator, student, or employer and you’re not actively engaged in supporting the next generation in terms of computer science, coding, and technology, we are missing an important opportunity. It’s critical; if you’re not paying attention, now is the time to get involved.”
“What is your state doing? Learn more at code.org/promote and at governorsforcs.org. Thank you to the students, parents, and teachers from around the country who helped pull this amazing event together. And thank you to the organizations that supported it: Code.org, NGA, Microsoft, and the Computer Science Education Coalition.”
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This version maintains the core message while removing any informal language or unnecessary details.
Computer – An electronic device that processes data and performs tasks according to instructions given by a program. – Example sentence: The computer helped us complete our coding assignment faster.
Coding – The process of writing instructions for a computer to perform specific tasks. – Example sentence: We spent the afternoon coding a simple game using Python.
Education – The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially in a school or university. – Example sentence: Learning to code is an important part of modern education.
Skills – The ability to do something well, often gained through training or experience. – Example sentence: Developing coding skills can open up many career opportunities in technology.
Technology – The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. – Example sentence: Advances in technology have made computers more powerful and accessible.
Project – A planned piece of work that has a specific purpose and is usually completed over a period of time. – Example sentence: Our class project involved creating a website to showcase our coding skills.
States – Different conditions or situations that a computer program can be in at any given time. – Example sentence: The program can be in various states, such as running, paused, or stopped.
Learn – To gain knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something. – Example sentence: I want to learn how to code so I can create my own apps.
Governor – A device used to control the speed of a machine, or a person who governs a state. – Example sentence: In our coding class, we learned how a software governor can manage the speed of a computer’s processor.
Schools – Institutions for educating children and young adults. – Example sentence: Many schools now offer courses in computer science and coding.
