TechAmerica, powered by CompTIA, is proud to support Code.org’s second annual Computer Science Education Week, December 8 to 14, 2014. The week, originally held in celebration of the birthday of the late Grace Hopper, promotes the importance of computer science as a key subject in K-12 education.
Throughout the week, several events will take place to mark the importance of computer science in education like Hour of Code events that introduce children to the basics of computer programming and demystify the language in which computers communicate. The Hour of Code events can be done at any point during the week at the individual, class, school or community levels. Participation in the tutorials introduces students to computer science as a fun hobby that can lead to a viable career pathway. Additionally, as further exploration of the subject grows, students will learn valuable soft skills such as critical thinking and creativity. In 2013, over 15 million students worldwide learned an hour of code with over 10 million of those students being girls, leading to more girls trying computer science than at any time in the last 70 years.
In spring 2014, TechAmerica, powered by CompTIA, supported Illinois House Bill 3695, which allowed Computer Science Advanced Placement courses to count toward a student’s core math requirement for graduation. The bill, now signed into law, will help students explore the subject without having to take on extra classwork in their final years of secondary school. Including computer science as a core math subject only makes it easier for students to gain a fundamental understanding of the subject, which then creates a solid pipeline for the future technology workforce.
Beginning in January, CompTIA is proud to host a new video series, Test Drive. Through interviews with current industry specialists, viewers have the ability to “test drive” various careers across the IT industry. In honor of Computer Science Education Week, check out the first installment with an introduction to Carolyn O’Hearn, CompTIA web developer, and see what a job in coding looks like.
Over 180 countries participate in an Hour of Code event. Take this opportunity to check it out for yourself!
