Hour Of Code has been renamed. This year and from now on it will be called "Hour Of AI", giving in to this AI-dictated era. Another indication that coding has shifted from a task of manual labor to one of automated generation. Code.org is a trend setter and crucial to kids' education relating to Computer Science, so the rebranding is highly significant.

AI has been incrementally introduced in the latest HoC events, especially in last year's event where the main focus was specifically on GenAI, coupled with activities like generating music by writing code and using AI, making Computer Science as the new language of music. This year the event goes all out on AI.

As such you might be wondering why in this age of GenAI and generating code with just the use of a prompt whether learning to code is still necessary. This we answered in 2017 and in "AI for Oceans - Kids Use Computer Science For Good" where we examined why the focus has shifted from mere coding to AI and Machine learning :

Teaching coding isn't enough any longer. Kids should also be taught the concepts of AI at the same time. Things evolve rapidly and familiarization with AI from school age is the new norm among the tech education industry. The coming generations should be able to cope in a landscape shaped by the 4th Industrial Revolution.

The reasoning goes that in the near future and in one way or another, AI will affect most aspects of our lives, therefore kids should not just become consumers of this technology, they also have to be able to work with it in order to create solutions which collectively will make the world a better place.

But coding's value is not just creating great and useful applications by giving instructions to a computer. Coding, like Math, teaches you how to think; how to structure your thoughts, how to break complex tasks into sub tasks and how to efficiently proceed to solving them. It's an essential for everyone and for every day life and the problems that have to be confronted. Rebranding Hour of Code to Hour of AI supports the idea of problem solving without explicitly having to code using a programming language, but by learning to do so using AI and Machine Learning activities.

The LEGO Education "Modeling Machine Learning" activity is a task which tries to demystify Artificial Intelligence and machine learning models. It asks students to build and train a model of an animal to understand how computer scientists train a computer.

In Minecraft's "The First Night",  instead of having to survive alone, players partner with an AI Agent and teach it how to endure the night, turning a familiar Minecraft scenario into a hands-on exploration of artificial intelligence. What stands out with this activity is its objectives, which are representative of the philosophy behind the new Hour Of AI:

• AI Literacy domains: Pattern recognition, generalization, inference, error detection, and correction experienced through gameplay.
  
  
• Computational Thinking: Code, debugging, algorithms and problem-solving to capture rules and relationships that govern Agent behavior, building foundations for working with intelligent systems.
  
  
• AI Mindset: Critical Thinking & Responsible Use - Learners practice evaluating outputs, deciding when to use AI (and when not to), and correcting mistakes.
  
  
• Coding Skills: Shifts coding from just “writing instructions” to teaching, guiding, and collaborating with AI—skills applicable whether using ChatGPT today or advanced systems tomorrow.
  
  
• Confidence and Creativity: Students experience how capability grows, from initial dependence to empowered collaboration, and how knowledge transfers across tasks.

That sums up the event's exact point as well as the future outlook on coding.

Of course, there's also other activities that involve another newly acquired skill, that of prompting LLMs. In the "Mix & Move with AI" activity, students learn to design their own dancer by using AI prompts to remix a song and choreograph moves to the beat. Along the way, they learn basic coding ideas like sequencing and iteration.

Another example of utilizing prompting is in creating "Your Dream Product with Generative AI" where students brainstorm an original product idea, design its logo or ad using Adobe Express, and use generative AI to visualize how it looks. The objectives of the activity is to encourage creativity, innovation, and generating ideas.

As usual, Hour Of AI will run during Computer Science Education Week, which this year is December 8-14. Enjoy!

More Information

Hour Of AI

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