Code.org

The Code.org logo

Code.org is a non-profit organization and eponymous website led by brothers Hadi and Ali Partovi[1] that aims to encourage people, particularly school students in the United States, to learn computer science.[2] The website includes free coding lessons, and the initiative also targets schools in an attempt to encourage them to include more computer science classes in the curriculum.[3] On December 9, 2013, they launched the Hour of Code 2013 challenge nationwide to promote computer science during computer science week until December 15, 2013.[4] Major tech companies and their founders, including Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, have put up about $10 million for Code.org.[5] [6]

Goals

According to its website, Code.org has the following goals:[3]

History

Launch and first video release

Code.org was launched in January 2013 by Hadi and Ali Partovi, with the goal of making "programming" accessible to everyone. Their initial focus was on creating a database of all computer science classrooms in the United States.[7] The launch was covered in a number of technology publications online, including TechCrunch,and Geekosystem.[7][8] In late February 2013, a month after launch, they released a video featuring Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey and other programmers and entrepreneurs on the importance of learning to code. This video was covered in a number of news sources.[9][10][11][12] Two weeks after the launch, TechCrunch reported that the video had been a "blockbuster hit".[13]

Hour of Code challenge

During Computer Science Education Week [14] from December 9 to December 15, 2013, Code.org launched the "Hour of Code Challenge" on its website to teach computer science to school students, enticing them to complete short programming tutorials.[15][16] [17] [18] The challenge involved getting people to write short snippets of code to achieve pre-specified goals using Blockly, a visual programming language of a similar flavor as Logo. The initiative had been announced about two months in advance.[19] At the time of launch, the initiative was supported by United States President Barack Obama as well as leaders of many technology companies such as Microsoft and Apple Inc..[20][21] About two weeks later, it was announced that over 20 million people had participated and over 600 million lines of code had been written as part of the challenge.[22][23][24]

Flappy Bird

In 2014, Code.org posted a one hour tutorial to build and customize a Flappy Bird video game using the site's block visual programming language.[25][26]

An Hour of Code for Every Student crowdfunding campaign

In December 2014, Code.org held a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign that raised over $5 million to help educate school children.[27]

Reception

Writing for San Jose Mercury News, Mike Cassidy praised Code.org and the Hour of Code, writing: "A publicity stunt is what we need."[28]

John Dvorak was critical of the Hour of Code in an article for PC Magazine. Dvorak wrote: "I see it as a ploy to sell more computers in schools."[29]

Earlier, Dave Winer had responded to Code.org's first video launch by writing: "I don't like the way people at code.org are pitching it. And I don't like who is doing the pitching, and who isn't. Out of the 83 people they quote, I doubt if many of them have written code recently, and most of them have never done it, and have no idea what they're talking about."[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Guynn, Jessica (2013-02-26). "Silicon Valley launches campaign to get kids to code". Los Angeles Times.
  2. ↑ latimes.com Want to prepare kids for the future? Teach them to code.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "About Us". Code.org. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  4. ↑ "69,710,062". CSEd Week.
  5. ↑ nytimes.com Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Lately, Coding
  6. ↑ https://es.go.indiegogo.com/blog/2014/10/code-orgs-hadi-partovi-changing-education-making-history.html An Hour of Code’s Hadi Partovi on Changing Education and Making History
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Olanoff, Drew (January 22, 2013). "Code.org Launches To Help Make Computer Programming Accessible To Everyone". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ Tickle, Glen (January 22, 2013). "Code.org Says "Hello, World" to Get Everybody Coding". Geekosystem. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ Taylor, Colleen (February 26, 2013). "Watch Zuck, Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey, & Others In Short Film To Inspire Kids To Learn How To Code". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ Nieva, Richard (February 26, 2013). "Code.org has launched a meaningful attempt at education reform. Let’s hope the star-power helps". PandoDaily. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Is Code.org Too Soulless To Make an Impact?". SlashDot. February 28, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Winer, Dave (February 27, 2013). "Why you should learn to code". Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  13. ↑ Taylor, Colleen (March 13, 2013). "How Code.org’s ‘Learn To Code’ Video Starring Zuck And Gates Surpassed 12M Views In 2 Weeks". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  14. ↑ "69,710,062". CSEd Week.
  15. ↑ "15 Million Students Participate in Hour of Code - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD". AllThingsD.
  16. ↑ "Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates Teach Code.org Online Coding Class - Liz Gannes - News - AllThingsD". AllThingsD.
  17. ↑ Boston Globe
  18. ↑ Editor. "Hour of Code Reaches Over 16 Million - What Next?". i-programmer.info.
  19. ↑ Yeung, Ken (October 14, 2013). "Code.org unveils ‘Hour of Code’ campaign encouraging K-12 students to pick up computer programming". The Next Web. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  20. ↑ Empson, Rip (December 8, 2013). "Obama, Celebrities, Politicians And Tech Co’s Come Together To Launch Coding Education Push". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  21. ↑ Beres, Damon (9 December 2014). "Obama Writes His First Line Of Code". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  22. ↑ Empson, Rip (December 26, 2013). "Code.org: 2 Weeks And 600M+ Lines Of Code Later, 20M Students Have Learned An "Hour Of Code"". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  23. ↑ Jennifer Fenn Lefferts (December 29, 2013). "Preview of writing code for future". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  24. ↑ Morrison, Nick (December 27, 2013). "Teach Kids How To Code And You Give Them A Skill For Life". Forbes. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  25. ↑ Suba, Randell (2014-03-02). "Code.org cashes in on Flappy Bird craze: Code your own Flappy game Read more: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/3874/20140302/code-org-cashes-in-on-flappy-bird-craze-code-your-own-flappy-game.htm#ixzz3KsRyK3Gh". Tech Times.
  26. ↑ Layton, Lyndsey (2014-02-27). "‘Flappy birthday’ to Code.org". The Washington Post.
  27. ↑ Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/an-hour-of-code-for-every-student. Retrieved 19 February 2015. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ↑ Cassidy, Mike (December 12, 2013). "Hour of Code builds a deeper understanding of the power of computing". Retrieved January 8, 2014.
  29. ↑ Dvorak, John C. (December 18, 2013). "The Hidden Agenda of Code.org". Retrieved January 8, 2014.

External links