Lindenhurst Students Get With the Program

In recognition of Computer Science Education Week, students throughout the Lindenhurst Union Free School District joined the international Hour of Code movement, according to a school news release.

The Hour of Code encourages students to spend one hour during the week learning computer code. The event’s intention is to expose and clarify coding and demonstrate that anyone can learn the basics, the release states.

At Lindenhurst Middle School, opportunities to participate were offered during Jenna Smakal’s computer skills classes, the release states.

During a five-day unit on coding, students worked with puzzles, using logic and sequencing to build code, the release states.

Students were challenged to program the Finch, a robot used for computer science education, the release states. Its design is the result of a four-year study at Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab.

Using the lessons learned during the week, students were required to complete small task challenges that were more difficult as they evolved.

Elementary students joined the movement by participating in various leveled activities aimed at developing the logical thinking skills needed to embrace 21st-century learning, according to the release.

Students from Rose Truglio’s computer science classes at the high school worked collaboratively with around 100 fifth-grade students from Daniel Street to create a thematic program using the Scratch programming language, the release states.

[Photo Caption: Lindenhurst Middle School teacher Jenna Smakal worked with a student to program a Finch robot.]

[Photo courtesy of the Lindenhurst Union Free School District]