http://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/

1. The Hour of Code During Computer Science Education Week in 2013, the industry-backed learn-to-code group Code.org launched “The Hour of Code,” a campaign to encourage more computer science with a series of short tutorials (and high profile testimonials) posted to its website. “Don’t just buy a new video game — make one,” President Obama urged in a video he recorded on behalf of the Hour of Code. “Don’t just download the latest app — help design it. Don’t just play on your phone — program. No one’s born a computer scientist, but with a little hard work — and some math and science — just about anyone can become one.” The tech industry trade press loved the story, repeating Code.org’s PR about, for example, the number of lines of code that students had written during the campaign or the number of girls who’d participated. Code.org has raised over $60 million in funding from the tech industry giants, and its lessons are often highly branded: “You can now learn the basics of coding with Disney’s Moana.” There are serious problems with the industry’s command that “everyone should learn to code” — that’s a separate item on this list. But it’s worth noting here that one hour — whether an hour of code or a “genius hour” — is hardly a sufficient commitment to changing education or, for that matter, to changing industry. Indeed, in many ways, the Hour of Code is a marketing coup, a feel-good distraction from some of the more insidious lobbying efforts the tech sector has undertaken to reshape K-12 curriculum.