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14 | December 13, 2018 | The Northbrook tower news<br />
northbrooktower.com<br />
Hour of Code gives GBN students chance to experience computer programming<br />
Martin Carlino, Editor<br />
Glenbrook North’s entire<br />
math department,<br />
which consists of approximately<br />
90 classes, participated<br />
Dec. 5-6 in the<br />
worldwide Hour of Code<br />
initiative.<br />
The initiative, first pioneered<br />
by the nonprofit<br />
Code.org, is an effort to<br />
celebrate computer science.<br />
Its hope is to give<br />
every student the opportunity<br />
to learn computer<br />
programming.<br />
GBN educators Steve<br />
Goodman and Dr. Maria<br />
Vasilopoulos worked to<br />
instill the hour of code<br />
initiative at GBN. After<br />
some discussion, math department<br />
educators signed<br />
on to devote the needed<br />
hour of class time.<br />
Goodman, who starting<br />
teaching computer science<br />
at GBN two years<br />
ago, said the initial reception<br />
afterwards has been a<br />
very positive experience.<br />
And stressed the importance<br />
of these skills in today’s<br />
world.<br />
“[These skills] are very<br />
important, even for someone<br />
who’s not going to be<br />
a computer programmer,”<br />
he said. “The algorithmic<br />
thinking, the logical<br />
thought process that it<br />
develops is pretty important.”<br />
Goodman continue to<br />
say there was a eightyear<br />
span where GBN did<br />
not offer a computer science<br />
course. Now, in the<br />
years since restarting the<br />
course, it’s become a popular<br />
choice for students.<br />
He estimates that roughly<br />
80 students have signed<br />
up for the course each of<br />
the last three years.<br />
One of the goals the department<br />
hopes to derive<br />
from such courses is challenging<br />
the way students<br />
think. And Goodman believes<br />
they’ve done just<br />
that.<br />
We’ve reached some<br />
kids who were interested<br />
in computer science and<br />
they never knew it before,”<br />
he said. “I think it’s<br />
made them think in new<br />
ways.”<br />
Glenbrook North students (back to front) Chris Kostantonov, Kevin Martinez and Ayush Banerjee participate in the<br />
worldwide Hour of Code initiative Thursday, Dec. 6, at GBN. Photos by Martin Carlino/22nd Century Media<br />
GBN educator Steve Goodman works with Jacob Choe.<br />
Students Fiona O’Sullivan and Daniela Ostrov work<br />
together.<br />
Abhi Lakkamsani focuses in on his computer during<br />
Hour of Code.
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