Croatia will take part in Hour of Code.
In early December, from 5 to 11 December, Croatia will join the global movement Hour of Code which aims to promote IT and increase interest of children in kindergartens and in primary and secondary schools for technology. Also, the goal is to break the myth of programming as something very complicated, reports Poslovni.hr on October 31, 2016.
The global movement will involved tens of millions of students in over 180 countries, and last year Croatia participated with 182 schools and more than 7,500 young people. The project is globally carried out by code.org, with Microsoft as one of the main partners. The project leader in Croatia is Osijek City Software that brings together non-governmental organizations from across the country and through a network of volunteers holds coding classes in schools and at other venues, such as innovation centres.
Bela Ikotić, the project coordinator of Osijek Software City, said that they wanted to develop a new programme to motivate teachers and students to code. “Matija Kopić from Farmeron proposed the idea of taking part in this global project, and we organized volunteers and school teachers, and launched the lectures”, said Ikotić. “Each year we include more schools in the project, and this year we have teamed up with many more organizations in Croatia. With great motivation of all involved, we hope that a minimum of 300 schools will be included, together with over 15,000 students who will attend a two-hour coding class”, said Ikotić.
Microsoft helps in finding volunteers and provides materials for workshops. For example, Microsoft last year developed an interesting web application for coding, available in the Croatian language as well, which uses environment of the Minecraft computer game. This application, aimed at young people over six years of age, introduces users to the basics of coding in a fun way, encouraging them to explore the world of Minecraft.
“IT is the foundation of today’s innovation economy, but it also enters deep into all aspects of our private lives. In Croatia, we are all well aware of the challenges in education, from old methods of teaching to undervaluing the importance of math and sciences. If we add the fact that in the 21st century IT is not a compulsory subject in Croatia, the challenge is much greater. Therefore, I see great importance and significance in projects such as the Hour of Code, through which we can increase awareness and knowledge about information technology and encourage skills such as problem solving, logic and the creativity. Every student should have the opportunity to learn IT and we believe that the Hour of Code is just one in a series of projects which will make students interested in new technologies”, said CEO of Microsoft Croatia Ivan Vidaković.
Classes are open to all students in Croatia, regardless of where they are located and what kind of school they attend. Although it might seem impossible at first, it is even possible to organize the Hour of Code without using a computer.
