Jamestown  (UJ)   University of Jamestown students who are majoring in Education will participate in the first-ever North Dakota statewide “Hour of Code” event on Dec. 7, 2018. Students will participate in the event from 2-3 p.m. in the University’s SmartLab.

Dr. LeeAnn Nelson, Assistant Professor at UJ, says,   “Our pre-service teachers will be participating with many K-12 students not only throughout the state but worldwide. This opportunity will provide them with computer science knowledge, skills and experience that they can take into K-12 classrooms.”

“Hour of Code” started as a one-hour introduction to computer science designed to show that everyone can learn the basics of coding and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It will take place during Computer Science Education Week, which runs from Dec. 3-9.

A simultaneous, statewide Hour of Code involving nearly 100 schools will be held in North Dakota on Friday, December 7, in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week. Chief Information Officer Shawn Riley, along with Gov. Doug Burgum, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler, and more than 30 Microsoft volunteers are supporting the event – the first known effort happening at the same time statewide in the nation. Initiated and coordinated by Microsoft, the Hour of Code is part of a broader statewide effort to teach students computer science and provide valuable resources to educators, including training and professional development, to help every student graduate with these essential skills.

Nearly 100 schools, with an estimated 5,000 students from across the state, will be participating in Hour of Code. Schools are encouraged to share their involvement on social media and use “#HourofCodeND.” The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify “code” to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide movement.

North Dakota Chief Information Officer Shawn Riley, along with Gov. Doug Burgum, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler, and more than 30 Microsoft volunteers are supporting the event – the first known effort happening at the same time statewide in the nation. Initiated and coordinated by Microsoft, the Hour of Code is part of a broader statewide effort to teach students computer science and provide valuable resources to educators, including training and professional development, to help every student graduate with these essential skills.