CodeQuilt: Designing an Hour of Code Activity for Creative and Critical Engagement with Computing

As one of the largest initiatives to introduce K-12 youth to computing, the Hour of Code has reached hundreds of millions of students around the globe. While Hour of Code activities have been immensely successful, they have also been criticized for their focus on puzzle-like close-ended guided activities leaving out more creative and critical engagement with computing. In this paper, we report on efforts to design CodeQuilt, an Hour-of-Code-style activity in which middle and high school youth were asked to design Scratch projects that engage with issues on who and what is computing. We analyzed over 100 Scratch projects posted on the public CodeQuilt site in addition to reflective responses provided by participating youth. We found that a wide array of Scratch projects engaged creatively by integrating popular media but only a small number of projects focused on critical issues. In the discussion, we outline next steps for better supporting more critical and creative engagement with computing in Hour of Code activities.

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