#code week

The first part of EU Code Week was amazing with thousands of participants getting in touch with the coding world. Volunteers from schools, libraries, code clubs, businesses and public authorities worked together in workshops with young and motivated people to show how fun coding, robotics, hardware and computers can be and how they help bringing your ideas to life.

First steps in coding from Ireland

1st Coding students celebrating @CodeWeekEU with fun activities in class, developing their digital competencies #EdChatIE #CodeEU #CodeWeek pic.twitter.com/zTsiJ5hD8V

— Computer Science (@CranaCollegeCS) October 10, 2017

It's never too early to start coding

Well Done👏 first year student Isaac for leading our Algorithm lesson using #Blockly 4 @CodeWeekEU Amazing talented teacher #CodeEU #EdChatIE pic.twitter.com/CNacLbNS3T

— Computer Science (@CranaCollegeCS) October 10, 2017

Geek Girls are cool girls

Launch weekend done! Thanks to the 100+ Girl Geeks who came to our 11 workshops, to workshop facilitators, & to @Google for funding #CodeEu pic.twitter.com/09blrrYO0Y

— Hudds Girl Geeks (@HuddsGirlGeeks) October 15, 2017

Robots battle!

🤖Check out our video of this mornings @CodeWeekEU event LEGO Robot War @cranacollege #CodeEU #EdChatIE #CodeWeek https://t.co/U7aRONJFV3

— Computer Science (@CranaCollegeCS) October 11, 2017

Having fun at the CodeWeek and learning about robots

Congratulations 👏 to our winning student team 🤖 Thank You 👨🏻💻MrBoyle👨🏼💻MrGeaney👩🏻💻MsGriffin 4 getting MrCooley into a 🍊 #CodeEU T-shirt 😃 pic.twitter.com/yzmHzR49Km

— Computer Science (@CranaCollegeCS) October 11, 2017

In Italy, making unplugged coding with CodyRoby

#codeEU bambini di 4 primaria @mozzecane impegnati con #coding #unplugged #codyroby #becool pic.twitter.com/TOps9Sxd9U

— Antonio Faccioli (@Faccioli74) October 14, 2017

Having fun on the playground

Jumping for joy with @AppleEDU & @SpheroEdu #EveryoneCanCode #ADEchat #CodeEU pic.twitter.com/EhhsYNpYit

— Catherine Mangan 💝 (@catherinem23) October 13, 2017

Programming afternoon in Spain

Tarde de programación #codeEU con @CoderDojoVLC @ByLinedu en @FlywireEng cc @CoderDojo #STEM pic.twitter.com/iiil2Jkz1j

— Asociacion ByLinedu (@bylinedu) October 14, 2017

Code Ninjas in Zurich

Looking forward to see @CodeWeekEU orange 🍊🍊 esprit at @CoderDojoZH #codeEU #Switzerland https://t.co/sVN1bpIuaK

— CodeWeekSwitzerland (@CodeWeek_CH) October 15, 2017

Robotics and coding in Albania

Albanian ICT Academy në bashkpunim me shkollën "Ernest Koliqi" zhvilloi eventin "Open Coding & Robotics Day". #codeweek #codeEU pic.twitter.com/K1cvhIABN0

— Albanian ICT Academy (@AL_ICT_Academy) October 17, 2017

More robots in Brussels

Good morning people! Today I will be programmed to do amazing things at #fcl_eu during the programming FCL course #codeEU pic.twitter.com/nY9qRXhBpW

— Efi Saltidou (@Efi_Saltidou) October 11, 2017

Workshop in Tervuren

Show n tell time @ #coderdojo #Tervuren #EUCodeWeek #codeEU pic.twitter.com/IRHMaLRI0K

— Sarah Lynch (@SarahLynchBxl) October 14, 2017

Coding class in Valencia

Hoy celebramos #codeEU en Valencia. Gracias por hacerlo posible @ByLinedu @LasNavesINN #digitalitzat pic.twitter.com/BtzqmMmxq4

— Loli Iborra (@Ibosalma) October 14, 2017

Keep calm and learn to code, Turkey

5 yaşından başlayan kodlama maceramız #KodlamaHaftası 'da coşkuyla devam ediyor. #bkegitek #codeweek #codeEU pic.twitter.com/02rXB1rnCl

— Uğur Çetinkaya (@ugurcetinkaya_) October 15, 2017

BeeBot to learn about sounds in UK

RB have been programming the BeeBot to find sounds! Ymdrech fawr! #codeEU #receptionmps #RB pic.twitter.com/zAWY6hGZll

— Maindee Primary (@maindeeprimary) October 16, 2017

Also teachers were involved to learn about computational and algorithmic thinking

Great @breakoutEDU session with our teachers on the Cert for Coding & Computational Thinking for Teachers this morning #codeEU pic.twitter.com/XNi1ADO0Dw

— Pam (@pamelaaobrien) October 14, 2017

AngryBird code challenge in Gent

Derde en vierde Latijnse gidsen Angry Birds door doolhof #Hour Of Code in wiskundeles. Blij met certificaat! #CodeFestival #CodeEU pic.twitter.com/a97hByqZpA

— Sint-Bavohumaniora (@SintBavoGent) October 13, 2017

JavaScript preparation in Brussels

Amazingly motivated participants @ our JavaScript preparation HackCamp in #Brussels @Science14Atrium. More next week! #bHack2017 #CodeEU pic.twitter.com/qnuwPMJJvB

— Hackages (@hackages) October 13, 2017

Passion for coding in Sweden

#Microsoft Hello World! is building a passion for #code in #Sweden https://t.co/EmyEhVNWFd #codeEU #CodeWeek pic.twitter.com/jogpPFNgdH

— Massimiliano Gattoni (@maxgattoni) October 13, 2017

Libraries and Digital Skill in Bulgaria. Together with the US emassador – Erik Rubin and commissioner Mariya Gabriel

Great to see Commissioner @GabrielMariya at @Sofialibrary! 💻 Digital skills open doors - we couldn't agree more. #GenerationCode #codeEU https://t.co/CgZW7RHTce

— PublicLibraries2020 (@LibrariesEU) October 13, 2017

The feeling when you find out your code works

The feeling when you find out that your code works 🎉 #codeeu #codeweek pic.twitter.com/F1WHqVIXuc

More than 100 people joined the 7th Coding from Home webinar on 16 June. Leading teachers from Austria and Albania shared best practices on building chat bots and coding with Minecraft. Google presented the Animate your name resource especially developed for EU Code Week and Meet&Code shared information about the possibility to apply for micro-grants. The recording is available on the EU Code Week Youtube channel.

Kristine Lanzdina, Programme manager, Computer Science (CS) Edu Team, Google, gave a sneak-preview of the Animate your name resource her team has developed for EU Code Week. It is already  available in (DE, FR, IT, LV, SK and RO) on EU Code Week Youtube channel and another 16 languages will be released soon. She also introduced the CS resources for 9-14 year olds available in FR, DE, IT and ES as well as other resources that target jobseekers.

Next was, Herman Morgenbesser, Leading teacher from Austria, who presented different activities that will take place during Code Week 2020 in Austria. They include “Noce of Coding” – a hackathon where pupils between 10 and 15 years old will build a chat bot, a webinar for teachers on unplugged computer science activities (available in English here) and a Scratch introduction for pupils.

Lindita Lohja, Leading physics Teacher from Albania shared different coding activities she has done with her students. She has for example used crochet to connect mathematics and coding and participated in a European project about coding for blind people. She also presented her work in Minecraft and showed how her students had connected, maths, coding, arts and creativity to build the central square of their town.

Finally, Kamilla Rejmer coordinator of Meet&Code at Techshoup, showed a video about Meet&Code and shared how they will focus on online learning in September and October. She also invited non-profits in 35 European countries (EU27, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Ukraine) to apply for micro-grants of up to €500. Meet&Code will also give out awards for best projects in four categories linked to UN sustainable development goals and one additional category “Code for Europe” in 2020. The winning organisation will win €2,000.

During the 5th Coding from home webinar participants got a preview of the Coding@Home tutorials that will be released at the end of the week. They also learned about the free massive online course Elements of AI and about Microsoft’s resources targeting girls wanting to learn more about artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, Valtencir Mendes presented Unesco’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic for education. The recording of the webinar is on Youtube. 

Alessandro Bogliolo, Professor of Information Processing Systems at the University of Urbino, Italian EU Code Week ambassador and coordinator of all ambassadors, presented the Coding@Home series. It is a collection of 10-15 min videos, do-it-yourself materials, puzzles, games, and coding challenges that can be used at home or in school.

The activities are unplugged and participants do not need any previous knowledge of coding. Kids can play the games with their families or online with their teachers.

The purpose of the Coding@Home activities are to stimulate computational thinking and cover basic principles such as instructions, conditional statements, loops, cryptography, pixel art, drawings, etc., but the main principle is playfulness.

The series is published on the EU Code Week website and will be translated into all the website’s languages. More than 20 videos are in the pipeline, with three being released this week. It builds on Alessandro’s “Coding in famiglia” initiative, which is available on Rai Cultura.

Valtencir M. Mendes, Project Officer in the Global Education Coalition team at Unesco, presented Unesco´s Covid-19 response. An unprecedented 1.3 billion students across the world have been impacted by schools closing down, affecting the most vulnerable groups the hardest. Their platform includes links to national platforms, distance learning solutions, webinars to support teachers on topics such as ensuring equity in all learning solutions, exams and assessments etc. Valtencir invited the EU Code Week community to share their experience and “Tell your story”.

Unesco is also looking at good practices for girls who want to learn coding and STEM and what influences them to study these subjects. Valtencir’s full presentation is available on Slideshare.

Next, Kate Barnes Microsoft, Manager Strategic Partnerships, Philanthropies at Microsoft, introduced the Alice envisions the future a resource page with classes, tutorials, practical examples such as how to build a chat bot. It targets 12-18 year old girls interested in learning artificial intelligence (AI). No prior knowledge of coding is needed to take part.

Ville Sinisalo, Reaktor, spoke about Elements of AI, a free online 25-hour course on the basics of artificial intelligence. The course has five modules that cover what AI is – and is not; Solving problems with AI, Real world and AI, Machine learning and Neural networks. After the course participants are expected to understand the basics of AI, think critically about AI news and be able to discuss and have an founded opinion about artificial intelligence.

The course is open to anyone with a curious mind. No programming skills are needed. Since May 2018, 420,000 students between 16 and 82 years of age have registered in 170 countries. The goal to reach 1% of the Finnish population has already been reached and now the target is to reach 1% of Europe’s population. To this end the European Commission has translatedthe course into all EU languages. Elements of AI is currently available in English, Estonian, Finnish, German, Norwegian and Swedish, with more languages coming soon. A second, more in-depth course is being prepared, which will be published later this year.

Finally, Annika Östergren Pofantis, EU code Week coordinator, encouraged participants to spread the word about the 5-hour introductory “Icebreaker” online course that will start on Monday 11 May. It targets teachers and other activity organisers with a curious mind who want to learn some basics about computational thinking and coding, get practical tips on how to set up engaging activities and to take part in Code Week.

The free EU Code Week Icebreaker massive open online course is back for a second year due to popular demand. The course will take place from 11 May to 15 June.

The course is designed for anyone who wants to help children develop new skills and reach their potential, whether you are a teacher or a parent. Moreover, you do not need any previous coding experience to join.

The course encourages families and teachers to bring innovation into the home and classroom and provides ideas on how to engage children and students using new, fun and educational activities. Participants will also get access to learning material and resources in 29 languages that will help them plan and organise their own coding activities.

Register for the course here!  

What this course will teach you

The Icebreaker course covers these key areas:

#1: Introduction to coding and computational thinking

The course will firstly introduce you to the basics of coding and computational thinking and demonstrate the importance of cultivating these skills at home and in school. Teachers will learn how coding can be integrated into teaching any subject, while parents will learn how to engage children in coding activities in the comfort of their homes.

#2: Overview of the EU Code Week activities

The course will give you an overview of the Code Week initiative and walk you through the different activities you can organise at home or in school. You will also be given access to learning materials and lesson plans in 29 languages to get you started.

#3: Practical tips

In the third session you will receive valuable insights on how to get your school involved in the initiative. The course moderators will also share best practices for organising Code Week events and activities. And don’t forget, every week can be a Code Week!

#4: Live Q&A session

The course will also organise two live sessions, so be sure to write your questions in the comments! They will take place on 18/5 and 8/6 at 5 p.m. CET. In the second Q&A session participants will also be given the chance to share their know-how and best practices. The rest of the five-hour course can fit around your schedule– the platform will be available throughout from 11/5 to 15/6.  

Useful links

Register for the course here

Download the promo pack

Join the teachers’ community on Facebook

How to learn code without a computer

Learning material and lesson plans

By Annika Östergren Pofantis, EU Code Week team

Be realistic. Be patient. Be kind to yourself. Adapt. Four tips from Ana Stamatescu, Romanian Code Week ambassador and education coordinator at TechSoup to teachers around the world who are starting to teach their classes online. Ana shared her experience on remote teaching together with Madhumalti Sharma, Code Week Ambassador Luxembourg and EU robotics national coordinator, Pauline Maas, Leading Teacher the Netherlands and Stefania Altieri Leading teacher from Italy at the second EU Code Week “Coding from Home” webinar Tuesday 24 March.

Ana encouraged teachers to start by picking two to three tools and testing them with your students. “Change if they are not suitable for you”, she said. Ana’s favourites are Zoom for online classes, Kahoot for interactive quizzes as well as the more traditional WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube. She also encouraged teachers to talk seek support from their local teaching communities. “If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for it”. Ana’s presentation is available here.

Take a cookie break!

Madhumalti shared some practical tips for people who are moving their coding workshops online:

Use conference tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToMeetings. Some are available for free for education and teachers.

If bandwidth allows keep all participants’ cameras on so children feel connected.

Invite participants to share their screen to show their projects.

Use mute/unmute, raise hand features.

Take a break – like in real class allow for a short break with fruits and snacks.

Record the session and share references.

She underlined that parents are welcome to join, but mostly children can manage on their own. The youngest may need help to set up the conference tools, but quickly get independent. Madhumalti’s presentation is available here.

Coding bingo and coding treasure hunt

Pauline shared her online activity Coding bingo, which includes activities ranging from baking muffins and talking about input and output, to pixel art to the Sandwich robot man where you program your parent/teacher!

Stefania shared her coding treasure hunt, which is inspired by Trivial Pursuit, where all questions are linked to coding. Read more in this blog post.

See the recording of the webinar here.

Join Coding from Home on 27 March at 11.30 CET

By Annika Östergren Pofantis, EU Code Week Team

Stay in touch with students. Make the most of existing on-line resources. Use cloud tools.  Provide structure and respect the school’s time schedule. These were Alessandro Bogliolo’s, Italian EU Code Week ambassador and professor at University of Urbino, tips for teachers organising lessons remotely at the first EU Code Week Coding from Home webinar.

Alessandro said that coding is a quite easy to introduce remotely and encourage teachers to make the coding activities as fun as possible. He, for example, suggested teachers to propose daily activities and games that the children can play with their families. Alessandro himself organises coding lessons for families in cooperation with Italian TV RAI.

Deborah Elalouf, French Code Week ambassador, shared the Code-Decode online training path available in English and French that aims to help participants understand coding and digital culture.

Francisco Javier Masero Suarez, Leading teacher from Spain, showed a practical example of a remote lesson combining karate and coding (see presentation on Google Drive or Slideshare). He underlined that although students are at home they need to do physical activities. He said that combing coding and sports allows students to develop cognitive and physical activities in the same project.

See the recording of the webinar here.

On 25 March 2019, European Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, responsible for the Digital Economy and Society, and Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the European Committee of Regions (CoR) encouraged all 350 member of the CoR to involve primary and secondary schools in their region to take part in the next edition of EU Code Week, which will take place from 5-20 October 2019.

They hope that “by intensifying efforts we will help the education systems embrace the use of digital technologies and ensure that all students have the opportunity to become creators of digital content, beyond being passive consumers of digital services.”

You can read the full letter below and find the Committee of Region members from your country here.

                                                                               Brussels 25 March 2019

Dear colleagues,

Digitisation is gaining speed in Europe and we need to step up efforts on all levels to ensure that all Europeans have the right skills to use digital technology.

In 23 Member States, National Digital Skills Coalitions bring together business, national authorities, social partners, education providers and other stakeholders to tackle the digital skills gap. To strengthen their actions and outreach, we would welcome the active participation of regional authorities in existing coalitions as well as their contribution to the setting up of national coalitions in those Member States without one at present.

We also need to intensify our efforts to reach young people, as a worrying 15% of those between 16 and 24 of age do not have basic digital skills.

In the Digital Education Plan of 2018, the European Commission put forward 11 actions to support Member States in embracing digital transformation in education. A flagship action in this context is EU Code Week – a grassroots movement supported by the European Commission that aims to bring programming and related technology skills to people of all ages and especially children in primary and secondary schools. Code Week offers all students the possibility to make their first steps as digital creators, by providing schools and teachers free professional development opportunities, teaching materials and opportunities for cross-border exchange.

In 2018, more than 2.7 million people participated in EU Code Week in 72 countries and the vast majority of activities were carried out in schools. This means that around 10% of all schools in Europe were reached. Now, the Commission aims to give students in at least 50% of all schools an understanding of coding and the development of crucial competences related to computational thinking, such as problem solving, collaboration and analytical skills by 2020.

To reach this goal, we need your help, in full respect of your competences and the principle of subsidiarity, to encourage all primary and secondary schools in your region to get involved in EU Code Week, which will take place from 5-20 October 2019. Making Europe more digital starts at the local and regional level.

We hope that by intensifying efforts we will help the education systems embrace the use of digital technologies and ensure that all students have the opportunity to become creators of digital content, beyond being passive consumers of digital services.

For more information please contact your local Code Week ambassador(s) or the colleagues at the Commission working with Code Week (see attached contacts).

Mariya Gabriel

EU Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society

Karl-Heinz Lambertz

We are from Beth School in Argentina. We were very excited about being part of the EU Code Week campaign.

Our students learn about coding from the 1st grade until the end of the primary school. So during the three weeks in October we worked more intensively on a sequence of activities that we usually do during the whole year.

We chose 5th graders (10- year- old children) and divided them into two groups. One group participated in an activity during which they experimented on how to create a web design for an app developed by them from the user´s perspective.

The other group worked with Scratch. The objective of this activity was to create a video game with the possibility of changing its aesthetics, program the movements of the characters and put into practice or apply the basics of programming patterns and structures.

Working with programming is becoming usual at our school and most students always show big interest in learning about it.  It is a great challenge. We can see this mainly with students who perhaps do not participate much or do not show interest or good performance in other areas. However, in programming they stand out.

Our students find programming as something close to the real world. They can use the new skills in what they do outside of school. During Code Week we realized that students are particularly interested in developing apps and they want to keep learning more about it.

Coding: a necessary skill for the future

We believe that nowadays children should learn programming and improve their computational thinking as soon as possible. It prepares them for the economy of the present and the future.