From: TechSPOT
By Shawn Knight
On February 26, 2013, 6:30 PM
A number of high-profile members of the technology industry have teamed up with celebrities to back a new initiative designed to get kids interested in programming. The nonprofit foundation Code.org wants to get more schools involved in teaching programming classes while at the same time, directing visitors to coding resources that are already available online.
The promo video for the initiative runs nearly six minutes long and includes a who’s who list of celebrities and prominent figures in the tech community including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell and Miami Heat NBA star Chris Bosh, just to name a few.
Bosh got started with technology and coding at an early age as he was part of an afterschool group called the Whiz Kids. He didn’t care that his friends made fun of him because he was having fun and learning at the same time.
The clip showcases some of the fun and relaxed work environments that today’s coders call home. For example, Google’s Mountain View headquarters contains a bowling alley, bocce courts and more than two dozen cafes – all free of charge. Other employers offer amenities like free laundry service, video games to play and scooters to ride – all while on the clock. If that doesn’t sound like an awesome working environment to you, I don’t know what does.
Kids are reminded that you don’t have to be a genius to get started with programming. All you need is basic addition, subtraction and multiplication skills and you’re set.
There’s no doubt that computers and technology are the future and considering that just one in 10 schools teach students how to write code today, such an initiative likely couldn’t afford to come at a later date.