Buncee is a great option to get students involved in the “Hour of Code” which takes place annually during “Computer Science Education Week.” CS Edweek recognizes the birthday of computing pioneer, Admiral Grace Murray Hopper. There are a lot of activities and events lined up for all grade levels and content areas for this year’s celebration which takes place from December 6-12. In my STEAM course, we join in throughout the week and students have an opportunity to explore coding on their own. Buncee offers some great ways to teach students about coding and provides ready-to-use materials for every classroom! Buncee has been a favorite of my students for many years!
The great thing is that you don’t have to be a STEAM or technology teacher to bring coding into the classroom or participate in the Hour of Code. Everyone can get involved and that is the goal for the week: to show that anyone can code and highlight how vital computer science knowledge is for today’s students. Data available on Code.Org provides statistics which support the growing need for students to have opportunities to learn about and develop skills in coding and computer science.
Since first participating in the Hour of Code in December of 2018, I’ve tried to include more activities and bring in more resources for my students throughout the year. There are a lot of options out there to choose from and during the Hour of Code, students from more than 180 countries participate in the activities that are available.
Explore the Hour of Code Templates!
When it comes to coding, students don’t have to design computer programs. Coding is about learning or designing the steps in the process. Using Buncee, students can learn about coding and create something wonderful using one of the many ready-to-use templates available! Check out all of the choices in templates here. Simply choose one and make it your own! These are a great way for students to explore coding!
Get started with students in any grade level and let them choose what to explore for the Hour of Code. Students in grades 2 through 5 will enjoy these options and can then create a Buncee to share what they learned, and have fun while creating and adding in animations, text and even recording a short video or audio to talk about what they learned!
Use Buncee to provide choices for what students might want to explore or create with coding. Check out this great Hour of Code choice board for use with middle school students!
Offer some options and include different media from the extensive Buncee media palette, and see what students create. Have them design a newsletter about coding, create a poster about the benefits of learning to code, or share a reflection on their experience with using one of the coding programs from the choice board! Each option promotes student choice and voice and gives students the chance to explore and create something that meets their interests and needs.
Here is another great choice board for students in grades 9 and up! For older students, have them select something from the choice board, and then they can design something to share what they have learned whether it is a short presentation, something visual with audio or video included so that they can talk about what they learned or created, and then have all students place their Buncees on a Buncee board to learn from one another.
These activities are perfect for not just learning about coding and the benefits of coding, but for giving students choices and helping them to develop essential SEL skills in learning. As they explore coding, they develop self-awareness and become confident in their coding skills. They make decisions about what to learn and decide what to create. Students build relationships while working with classmates and learning from one another. And these activities in new areas like coding will promote the development of their self management skills as they set goals for learning and work through any stress that may come with some of the challenges encountered depending on how they engage in the coding activities.
And it keeps getting better! There are so many great possibilities for using Buncee in the classroom and students can find exactly what they’re looking for. There are always new animations, emojis, stickers, 3D objects and more that it really does make creating a lot of fun.
What is great about Buncee is that we can use it for a variety of learning environments, whether in-person, hybrid or fully virtual. Join in the Hour of Code today, create with Buncee and get prepared to learn a lot from your students!
Meet the Author
Rachelle Dené Poth is an edtech consultant, presenter, attorney, author, and teacher. Rachelle teaches Spanish and STEAM: What’s nExT in Emerging Technology at Riverview Junior Senior High School in Oakmont, PA. Rachelle has a Juris Doctor degree from Duquesne University School of Law and a Master’s in Instructional Technology. She is a Consultant and Speaker, owner of ThriveinEDU LLC Consulting. She is an ISTE Certified Educator and currently serves as the past -president of the ISTE Teacher Education Network and on the Leadership team of the Mobile Learning Network. At ISTE19, she received the Making IT Happen Award and a Presidential Gold Award for volunteer service to education. She is also a Buncee Ambassador, Nearpod PioNear and Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert.
Rachelle is the author of seven books, “In Other Words: Quotes That Push Our Thinking,” “Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU” (EduMatch) and “The Future is Now: Looking Back to Move Ahead,” Rachelle Dene’s latest book is with ISTE “Chart A New Course: A Guide to Teaching Essential Skills for Tomorrow’s World.” True Story: Lessons That One Kid Taught Us, Your World Language Classroom: Strategies for In-Person and Digital Instruction and Things I Wish […] Knew.
Rachelle is a blogger for Getting Smart, Defined Learning, District Administration, and NEO LMS.
Follow Rachelle on Twitter @Rdene915 and on Instagram @Rdene915. Rachelle has a podcast, ThriveinEDU https://anchor.fm/rdene915.
