Code for success

If the scientists of tomorrow need computer command codes for a new program, they’ll probably be able to write that code themselves.

This will especially be true if those scientists were once students at Newton’s Aurora Heights Elementary School. Those students will benefit from some new equipment, courtesy of a recent award won by its librarian.

June Clute was announced Monday as the winner of the $4,000 award from the Iowa State University Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Advisory Council award. While Clute had applied for the $10,000 award, the lesser amount will still allow Aurora Heights to purchase some of the latest hardware and software to continue what appears to be amazing progress.

“I put together a logistics plan, and submitted it,” said Clute, the librarian for Aurora Heights and a part-time teacher at Berg Elementary. “We’ll probably end up using most of it for hardware.”

Clute runs several web-based lessons with Aurora Heights students, including one about writing code. Since many of tomorrow’s jobs are likely to involve technology and code-writing skills, Clute gets gradeschoolers going early, aided by sites like code.org.

Code.org teaches students how to use basic commands to direct characters around a computer screen. Students must string the correct commands together in order to achieve a set goal. The site uses familiar-looking animated characters, such as ones from the Angry Birds game series.

Angel Mendez, a representative of ISU’s STEM program, said 51 Iowa schools registered for this year’s “Hour of Code” program. Clute’s proposal only beat out one other entry from Newton’s South Central region, but her prompt, early action might have been critical. Several entries received after the Nov. 14 deadline weren’t eligible for the technology awards.

Jacob Aldrich, an Aurora Heights fifth-grader, is part of a generation described by Clute as a “digital natives” — people who have been around personal electronics and digital media throughout their lives.

“I’m certainly not a digital native,” Clute said, laughing.

Aldrich is the president, and in a way, founder of the school’s technology club. Clute said his mastery of code reflects his desire to be challenged as a student.

“I really like computers,” Aldrich said. “So I thought this would be a fun club to have.”

In Tuesday’s lesson, one student, Theo McNally, was the first to announce he’d completed all 20 assigned sections of coding. The home page for code.org claims more than 61,000,000 users have written at least one hour’s worth of code.

Knowledge of how to use technology is a regular part of her classes in the school’s Library Media Center.

Clute said the students log in with their email address (every Aurora Heights student has their own email address and Google ID). She runs certain lessons using one of the library’s Samsung Chrome laptop computers.

Knowing children will grow up to pursue careers in all sorts of fields, Clute knows she has helped prepare students no matter how little or large a role technology plays in their lives.

“Some of them might even grow up to be computer programmers,” she said. “We do have a shortage of those.”