Hundreds of elementary school children in Juneau are learning the basics of computer programming. But to them, it's just a game.
The students took part in a national initiative called "Hour of Code." The Juneau branch manager for programming firm Resource Data Inc. pitched the idea to school administrators. She says the goal is to target young students and demystify code to help address a shortage of computer programmers.
Students played games designed to teach different levels of the coding process. Younger students perform basic tasks, like figuring out what a bird needs to do to travel a pathway to a goal. The tasks get more complicated for older children.
The Juneau Empire reports (http://bit.ly/Jl4Vr4 ) that 700 students in first through eighth grades have taken part.
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Information from: Juneau (Alaska) Empire, http://www.juneauempire.com