Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn to code

By Ryan Majeau | Posted February 27th, 2013 in Faronics blogs for

“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.” 
— STEVE JOBS, THE LOST INTERVIEW

The reality is, technology is part of our every day lives, whether we like it or not. It’s so integrated, we probably can’t imagine life without it anymore—let alone making it through just one day without using some sort of computer. While we all use technology—and at a growing rate—how many of us actually know how to read and write the code behind it? Does that matter? Yes, it does.

Code.org is a non-profit foundation dedicated to growing computer programming education. Would you be surprised to learn that only 1 in 10 schools in the US actually teach students how to write code? It’s not a very promising statistic, given the amount of technology out there. Everyone wants a job when they get out of school, and there are a lot of tech jobs available. If the basics aren’t taught in school, nearly 1 million of the best jobs in America could go unfulfilled.

Gone are the days that coders are the freaks and geeks of school. Coders will be the rockstars of tomorrow. They will come up with the new smartphone that you can’t live without, create the learning tools needed to promote collaboration in schools, or write the software that restores your computer to its desired configuration with just a simple reboot! Some call it magic, or maybe it’s the closest we can get to having super powers these days.

Watch this video and see for yourself. Code is a powerful thing, and more students should learn to code.