Investigating Creative and Critical Engagement with Computing in the Hour of Code (Practical Report)

Luis Morales-Navarro, Yasmin Kafai, Gayithri Jayathirtha, Mia Shaw

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

The Hour of Code provides brief stand-Alone activities to introduce K-12 learners to computing concepts and applications. While these activities have successfully reached hundreds of millions of students around the globe, there are calls for more creative and critical engagement with computing. In this paper, we examine the creative and critical content of 316 Hour of Code activities offered to middle school and high school students as part of the official 2020 Computer Science Education Week. Our content analysis revealed that only 13% Hour of Code activities promoted creative engagement while only 1% of Hour of Code activities focused on critical engagement, offering discussion guides at best. In the discussion we provide recommendations for designing for more critical and creative engagement with computing in future Hour of Code or similar hour-long activities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication16th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, WiPSCE 2021
EditorsMarc Berges, Andraes Muhling, Michal Armoni
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9781450385718
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 18 2021
Externally publishedYes
Event16th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, WiPSCE 2021 - Virtual, Online, Germany
Duration: Oct 18 2021Oct 20 2021

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference16th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education, WiPSCE 2021
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityVirtual, Online
Period10/18/2110/20/21

Keywords

  • Creative computing
  • Critical computing
  • Hour of Code
  • Programming
  • Scratch

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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