Celebrating Computer Science Education Week (#CSEdWeek 2016)

"The future is being written in code. In a world that is increasingly being reshaped by digital technology, computing skills are becoming as foundational as science and language arts, no matter what career a child decides to pursue. Vandana Sikka, Chairperson
Infosys Foundation USA

Each child, no matter his or her background or circumstance, should have the opportunity to learn computer science (CS). Fortunately, thanks to the on-going collaboration between several organizations and individuals working together across the US, significant progress has been made in 2016 to further #CSforAll.

Reducing barriers also plays a critical role. It is important to supplement strong curricular offerings with hands-on, local grassroots learning opportunities, especially in underrepresented student populations.

To reduce or eliminate barriers to learning CS, such opportunities should be carefully constructed to:

• Offer CS class enrollment at no cost to encourage participation
• Construct a judgment-free environment for students to try out CS amongst their peer group
• Hold CS classes on weekends or early evenings either on or off school campuses
• Ignite a spark within students who might not see themselves as the target audience to study CS
• Introduce students to adult CS professionals to whom they can relate.

And to celebrate #CSEdWeek, we are doing just that: reducing barriers to CS education.

The Foundation is partnering with several organizations to offer free coding workshops across 9 states to reach a number of underrepresented student groups. Listed by state, below are descriptions of various #CSEdWeek workshops that will reach ~725 students who otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn CS:

California

CodeNow will deliver a 3-day computer programming workshop, teaching underrepresented students how to build fun interactive games. By the end of each workshop, students will walk away with more than 25 hours of training in computer programming.

Computer Technologies Program will conduct a 1-day event and feature hands-on robotics and coding activities for autistic youth.

Digital Nest will offer a pair of weekend-long Game-Building Hackathons focused on game coding using the industry-standard Unity game engine to High School students from rural, low-income Latino communities, bringing together a minimum of 150 participants (youth designers, coders and testers, volunteers, industry mentors).

Georgia

Level Playing Field Institute will hold a Hackathon to under-represented students, students of color, low-income students, and first generation students and offer them hands-on learning in app design and the opportunity to engage with tech professionals in an effort to encourage their aspirations in pursuing computer science.

Illinois

Hispanic Heritage Foundation will host a bilingual Code as a Second Language (CSL) LOFT Coding Boot Camp to underserved, Latino-populated communities and instruct middle and high school students on the basics of computer programming.

Michigan

Yes We Code will host a 24 hour Hackathon called Hack For Detroit for young, black men where groups of 4-6 individuals will isolate one area of concern or improvement that they would like to see change in Detroit.

New York

Tech Kids Unlimited will host a Special Needs Hackathon for teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder, learning and emotional challenges.

North Carolina

Hispanic Heritage Foundation will host a bilingual Code as a Second Language (CSL) LOFT Coding Boot Camp to underserved, Latino-populated communities and instruct middle and high school students on the basics of computer programming.

South Dakota

American Indian Science and Engineering Society will offer workshops where ~100 American Indian students in grades 7-12 will participate in hands-on activities using the Sphero robot ball.

Texas

Texas Girls Collaborative Project will offer a High School Robotics Day Camp to female students who have little to no experience with robotics. Students will build and program their robot and learn how to incorporate multiple sensors in their design through a variety of creative open-ended challenges.

Washington

Girl Develop It will host a 2.5 day Hackathon to empower women of all ages, abilities, and diverse backgrounds through coding and community, and serving ~50 women and girls.

At Infosys Foundation USA, we believe that CS education should have no boundaries and CS education and CS teacher development is fundamental to our future. By continuing to support learning events like these as well as helping teachers with high quality training, research, curriculum and standards, the Foundation is working to ensure that every child in the US has the opportunity to learn these computing skills, regardless of their circumstances.