Thousands of GGUSD Students Get Techy with Hour of Code

• Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Thousands of elementary, intermediate, and high school students at more than 20 schools throughout Garden Grove Unified School District (GGUSD) gained a whole host of computer science skills by participating in “The Hour of Code™,” a global initiative held during Computer Science Education Week, December 5-11. 
“Our schools overwhelmingly embraced the Hour of Code, and took full advantage of the opportunity to highlight the importance of computer science skills for 21st century students,” said GGUSD Board of Education Trustee Bob Harden. “This event gave our students more exposure to the tech skills vital to the jobs of this generation – especially in California.” 

GGUSD students practiced logical thinking, problem solving, and collaborating during the Hour of Code, which is known as the largest learning event in history. Students left the galaxy using code to program Star Wars characters, used algorithms to build online puzzles, and programmed fully-animated mobile applications. 

Nine out of ten high schools in the U.S. do not offer computer science according to Code.org. In California, computer science is not a required course and state curriculum standards do not exist. 

However, GGUSD offers more than 15 computer science classes as well as a dedicated career pathway for Information and Communication Technology and Computer Science. Courses offered at Garden Grove, La Quinta, Pacifica, and Santiago high schools include Mobile Apps Development, 3D Printing Web Development, Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles, UC Computer Science and Software Engineering, Video Game Design and Development, among others. 

Seventh and eighth grade students are also exposed to computer science concepts through the district’s CTE (Career and Technical Education) STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) classes.

Latest News