Each week on this blog I enjoy highlighting some of the cool things my friends do in their personal and professional lives.
This weekend I bumped into my friend Hal Speed and learned Computer Science Education Week starts today [Dec 8th].
Hal's son and my daughter both attend the same high school, a magnet school that draws some of the smartest kids from all across Austin. The students at this school have the opportunity to pick and choose from many computer science and computer programming classes. However, other children in our city and across the country do not have such an opportunity.
After realizing that many schools do not offer computer programming classes and seeing the number of programming jobs available, Hal started volunteering with Code.org, an organization that believes every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. He's also working with the local school districts to implement Texas House Bill 5 which now requires every high school in Texas to offer computer science (WHAT??? Texas only now, in 2014, is requiring high schools to offer computer courses??? Ouch!).
This week, Code.org has a goal of introducing 100 million students to computer science with a fun, interactive tutorial called the Hour of Code. It's so easy anybody can learn and there's no previous experience required. Throughout the week, students will also be chatting with high-tech celebrities such as Bill Gates, Sheryl Sandberg and Usher, checkout the videos here.
With so much of our lives impacted by technology and software, learning the basics of computer science has become an important skill to have in the 21st century and for the jobs of the future.
Kudos to Hal, and others, for all the work they are doing in this area.
Have A Great Day
thom singer
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