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| Apex High School students intently programming |
Sports Editor & Staff Writer
Apex
High School is participating in a nationwide program called Hour of Code. The workshop started today and ends on Thursday, December 11. Through
Code.org/learn students can experience the thrill of programming using
tutorials that range from beginner to expert. “On the site, there’s tutorials
designed for elementary school students all the way to tutorials designed for
making iPhone apps,” said programming teacher Celeste Smith. Teachers at Apex
High can sign up their classes for one hour labs where tutors from AP Computer
Science classes will come and walk students through the tutorials. “The site
shows that while coding can be intimidating, it is not hard to do. People can
come to the programming room during lunch and we will help walk them through
the programs,” said one of the tutors, senior Nick “Wisedeath” Wrenn.
Computer programming is a rapidly expanding field, with a projected 4.2 million jobs in computing and information technology by 2020. “There is a critical problem in the programming field where there are more jobs in the field than there are programming graduates,” explained Smith. Even more concerning is the lack of females going into the field. “Out of the 20,000 AP computer exams given, only 19% of test takers were women,” said senior Meredith Bailey, who is also a tutor. Smith agrees, saying, “Girls can perform fantastically in the field, but they need the confidence to know they can be a part of it.”
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| Hour of Code |
