Hour of Code begins in Brooklyn today. Here’s how local students are getting involved

Here’s the idea: for at least one hour this year, each student in school in Brooklyn learns how to code.
They may not become web developers, and they may not develop a love of computers, but at least they’ll have a taste of it. There are more than 500 public schools in Brooklyn, containing more than 300,000 students. Cumulatively, that’s a lot of hours of coding.
The mission comes from the international organization Code.org, which has launched the Hour of Code initiative internationally.
“Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science,” the organization says. “It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.”

Our mission is simple: every Brooklyn public school student gets the opportunity to learn to code. #teachkidscode #codebrooklyn @BPEricAdams

— code.brooklyn(); (@codebrooklyn) August 25, 2015

The organization Code Brooklyn is spearheading efforts here at home. Code Brooklyn has an easy portal to pledge to do the hour of code at your school, as well as tutorials and lesson plans for teachers who may want to participate. Hour of Code keeps a full list of participating New York schools. Code Brooklyn says that 82 percent of Brooklyn schools have signed up to participate.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams challenged Chicago to see which district could have the highest percentage of participation in the event. He even made a bet with Chicago, which says that the losing school district will have to sing the other city’s anthem.
“The future of our cities is going to be measured in ones and zeroes,” Adams said.

The Brooklyn Public Library is also hosting several sessions for kids and adults for the Hour of Code, including, “Never Too Late To Learn: Computer Topics for Older Adults.”
Code.org keeps a leaderboard of cities participating in the hour of code. Currently, New York ranks a lowly 21st, four spots below even Philadelphia (yikes!).