23.11.2018
Turku Centre for Computer Science (TUCS) joins the mission to introduce school pupils to computer science
We live in a world surrounded by technology. Computers are everywhere, changing every industry on the planet. Everybody must get the opportunity to learn how to create technology. Ability to code is not a privilege, but a fundamental skill for the future.
The basics of computer science also help nurture creativity and problem-solving skills, and whatever field school pupils choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed in any field will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works. That is why Turku Centre for Computer Science as an educational institution feels societally responsible to get pupils interested in technology from early on by organizing an “Hour of Code™”.
The Hour of Code™ is a global movement organized in 180+ countries. Only in 2018, more than 100,000 Hour of Code events are organized around the world. To date, more than 600 million people worldwide have participated in such events.
The participants will learn some basics of programming through a game-based approach and will be able to test their skills in a friendly competition with their classmates.
“Teaching computer science is a high-yield long-term investment. We believe that its first step – Hour of Code™ – should ignite an interest in pupils in learning how technology is made. The ability to code is not a privilege, but a fundamental skill for the future.”, says Professor Ion Petre, Director of Turku Centre for Computer Science.
This fall, Turku Centre for Computer Science organizes a session of Hour of Code™ on Tuesday, 18th December 2018, at 09:00-12:30 with the participation of 6th grade students from Raunistulan koulu and Sirkkala skola in Turku. The event is bilingual Finnish and Swedish and is supported by student volunteers from University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University.