California: “San Jose Libraries: Stepping In To Help Young People Learn Computer Coding”
From the San Jose Mercury News:
Kids today seem to know most of the ins and outs of computers. Their quick fingers dash over desktop, laptop and cell phone keyboards much faster than most adults’. However, computer coding remains a mystery to many, and even high schools–90 percent of which do not offer coding classes–appear to be leaving the teaching to others.
San Jose’s public library system is stepping in to fill that gap. Dec. 8-14 was Computer Science Education Week, and nine of the system’s branches, as well as the main Martin Luther King Jr. main library, offered one-hour sessions titled “Hour of Code.”
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“[Bill] Gates and [Mark] Zuckerberg speak to students and let them know that coding is not just for nerds anymore. It’s a lesson from successful, high-profile people that coding is easy and anyone can do it,” says Jon Worona, division manager for technology and innovation for the library system. “The tutorials help people learn they don’t need to be scared, and there’s no risk in trying because you can’t break anything or hurt yourself.”
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The library also is providing Tree House, which Worona calls a good introduction from which most people can learn. The web-focused program provides a number of learning tools and skills for people to develop websites and computer and cell phone apps. It also introduces a number of other coding languages including Scratch from MIT, CSG PHP, HTML and JavaScript for iPhone and Android apps.
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See Also: San Jose Public Library to be Hotbed of Coding During Computer Science Education Week “Hour of Code” (via SJPL; December 5, 2014)
Filed under: Libraries, News, Public Libraries, School Libraries
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.