Computer Science Education Week is next week, December 8-14. We are excited to contribute to the global effort to give ALL students the opportunity to learn computer science.
Code.org has some great resources to help bring computer science (CS) to your schools. While 25 states—including California—have standards in place allowing students to count CS credits toward high school graduation, 25 others are behind the curve. With an established skills gap and a growing need for workers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, promoting computer science is a priority — one that is easier to accomplish if we all work together.
Here are some facts about computer science in California, via Code.org:
Local Bay Area #HourofCode Events:
Hour of Code Workshops
Microsoft will visit multiple Bay Area locations including Boys and Girls Clubs, public schools and Microsoft Stores. Our employees will facilitate 16 Hour of Code workshops over the course of next week! To participate in one of these free events, where students will learn to code and create their own games, visit the San Francisco, Palo Alto, or Santa Clara Microsoft Stores’ websites for event dates and times.
Film Screening of Big Dream
On Sunday, Dec. 14th to celebrate the end of Computer Science Education week we will host a free screening of the documentary film Big Dream at the Microsoft campus in Mountain View. Come join us for popcorn and inspiration as we follow the lives of seven young women from around the world who are pursuing careers in STEM fields. RSVP here.
Here are some other ways you can get involved in Computer Science Education Week and make a local impact:
- Talk to your school: Talk to your local school district about computer science and allowing courses to satisfy a core math or science requirement. Discuss expanding computer science offerings in K-12 classrooms. Promote computer science in California: Visit http://code.org/promote/ca to learn more about how you can support computer science education in our state.
- Become a ‘Skype in the Classroom’ guest speaker: Join Skype and Code.org in instructing students in specialized tech topics. All it takes is one simple call to change a student’s life!
- Participate in the #HourOfCode: Join tens of millions of students and instructors in over 180 countries in the Hour of Code this year. The largest learning event in history, the Hour of Code encourages problem-solving skills, logic and creativity by offering one hour of computer science education to anyone willing to participate. Everyone starts somewhere, and the Hour of Code is a great place to start.
- Tell your network! Share the Code.org video on social media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKIu9yen5n
To learn more about Microsoft’s commitment to youth and education, visit our YouthSpark Hub.