Time for Coding

Do you know how to code? If not, it may be the perfect week to learn.

From December 7 to 13, eager minds across the world are gearing up for Computer Science Education W

eek. Code.org, a non-profit group dedicated to expanding access to computer science, established the weeklong event to give students the chance to explore coding in a fun way. The group is also behind a campaign called Hour of Code, which encourages students to try a one-hour introduction to computer science to learn the basics of coding.

According to Code.org, more than 100 million students across 180 countries and 40 languages have participated in the Hour of Code, including one in three students in schools throughout the United States.

“In a world that’s being completely changed by technology, how apps and coding work is something that everyone needs to know in the 21st century,” Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi told TFK.

Coding with Minecraft

MICROSOFT CORP/PRNEWSFOTO/AP

Microsoft and Code.org have teamed up to bring Minecraft to the Hour of Code event.

This year, Code.org expects more than 100,000 events to be held during Computer Science Education week, due in part to their partnerships with Microsoft and Mojang AB. The three companies teamed up to bring Minecraft to Hour of Code. The new tutorial, for ages six and up, introduces players to basic coding within the fun and popular 2-D environment.

“There may be lots of games but there really is only one Minecraft,” Partovi says. “Last year, students made thank-you cards for bringing Hour of Code to their school. When I read them, more then half were actually Minecraft requests.”

Deirdre Quarnstrom, Director of Minecraft Education at Microsoft, says the game was a natural fit. “A lot of Minecraft players are already interested in coding,” she told TFK. Quarnstrom notes that the skills learned from the coding program can help students in many areas. “It teaches logic, conditional statements, problem solving, and even vocabulary,” she says.

More than A Game

Currently, computer science is taught in only about 25% of the high schools in the U.S., and the number is even lower in middle and elementary school grades. By 2020, 4.6 million of 9.2 million science, technology, engineering, and math jobs will be in computing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Supporters say it's not just about learning how to code, but learning how computers work. Partovi says learning computer science can open the door to high-demand jobs.

“Whether you’re thinking about working in medicine, finance, communication, transportation, or agriculture, all of these fields are being impacted by technology,” Partovi says. “Having some basic knowledge about how it works is critical for all of these careers.”

Schools in New York, San Francisco, and other cities have said they will offer computer science to students in all grade levels. Experts say the subject will eventually become a high school requirement. But one challenge is finding enough well-prepared teachers. The National Science Foundation is seeking to have 10,000 well-trained computer-science teachers in thousands of high schools.

“Everyone knows that you can’t learn an entire field in one hour,” Partovi says. “Our goal is to get a computer science course added to every single school.”

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Why do you think Time to Code is important?