Hour of Code event for computer science learners

It's pretty unusual to see an issue supported by President Obama and House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor -- as well as Apple and Microsoft -- but they're all backing Hour of Code, which aims to get 5 million students in 33,000 classrooms around the world to learn at least one hour of computer science this week. 

A company Code.org wants to change the general attitude that the United States holds of coding. Only one in ten schools in the U.S. offer Computer Science classes, and many of these are electives rather than credit-based, and so there is little to entice students to pursue the subject as part of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) career. The non-profit has been campaigning for this to change in order to make sure the next generation are trained in these areas, and the "Hour of Code" promotion is designed to improve awareness around the issue -- as well as provide basic instruction for interested students of any age.

The founder of code.org, which is organizing Hour of Code, told Cnet recently he hopes the event will help to demystify the process of computer programming and get more youngsters hooked on coding.

“The idea is to get a one-hour basic introduction to this field that’s sort of behind this veil of mystery, this veil that separates the average person from the Mark Zuckerbergs,” Hadi Partovi said, adding, “We want to break down that veil to let people take one hour to see what it’s like to write code.”

During this week, Code.org is asking teachers to dedicate one hour to educating students on programming as part of the Computer Science Education Week, running from December 9th to the 15th.

The organisation's push offers students the chance to use free tutorials to learn the basics of coding. Tutorials have been contributed by well-known faces including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, puzzles teach basic algorithms featuring games such as Angry Birds suitable for young learners, and Python, JavaScript and mobile applications have not been ignored.

Many of the tutorials are promoted as suitable for all ages, and some are focused on middle and high school ages. The scheme covers many of the most popular scripting languages, and encourage students to continue learning the basics once they have completed the "Hour of Code" lesson.

To further promote the cause, Apple and Microsoft are offering "Hour of Code" tutorial sessions at their retail outlets. In addition, this week you may see computer science-based materials on the home pages of companies including Google, YouTube and Disney, as shown above.

In a time where unemployment is high, degree holders and experienced workers are struggling to make ends meet, we need all the help we can get, and if tuition in programming helps job prospects, so be it. Generation Y struggles just to secure dead-end, minimum-wage jobs, and even if such campaigns are self-serving, they are also necessary. Speaking to AllThingsD about this criticism, Code.org co-founder Ali Partovi said:
 

"Hiring engineers is difficult for every company in America, not just Silicon Valley. The majority of tech jobs are not in Silicon Valley. Our motivation is really not about jobs at all, it's about preparing kids for life."

In a video designed to encourage the younger generation of Americans to consider STEM subjects for future studies, Obama said:
 

"Learning these skills isn't just important for your future, it's important for your country's future. If we want America to stay on the cutting edge, we need you to master the tools and technology that will change the way we do just about everything. Don't just buy a new video game, make one."

The non-profit says that even though the week has only just begun, 1.3 million students have completed the Hour of Code task, and 40 million lines of code have been written. The group hopes that by the end of the week, ten million students will have taught themselves the basics of programming, and one billion lines of code will be submitted.