Free ‘Hour of Code’ sessions arrive at all Apple retail stores next week

Apple today unveiled new resources designed to bring coding education through the Everyone Can Code program to even more students around the world. Starting today, customers can register for thousands of free Hour of Code sessions, available at all Apple Store locations around the world from December 1 through 14.
The company also introduced Swift Coding Club materials to help teach coding outside of the classroom with Swift, Apple’s easy-to-learn programming language used by professional developers to create world-class apps. And to help prepare and develop students for the workforce, the company unveiled new Advanced Placement curriculum and App Development with Swift certification.
Today at Apple
For the sixth year, Apple will host Hour of Code daily coding sessions through Today at Apple from December 1 through 14. The sessions will provide opportunities for people at a variety of skill levels to learn coding. Kids Hour sessions will help aspiring coders aged six to 12 explore coding with robots, while those aged 12 and above can attend sessions using Swift Playgrounds and iPad to learn coding concepts.
More Ways to Introduce Students to Coding
To celebrate Computer Science Education Week, Apple created a new Hour of Code Facilitator Guide to help educators host sessions in their classroom using Swift Playgrounds and other iPad apps. Swift Playgrounds is available as a free download in the App Store in 15 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Japanese.
New resources help students learn to code both in and outside of the classroom
 
To teach coding outside of the classroom, a new Swift Coding Club kit gives teachers, students and club mentors the tools they need to start their own coding clubs. The new kit gives students aged 8 and up the ability to collaborate, prototype apps and explore how coding can make a difference in their communities using fun activities from Swift Playgrounds and App Development with Swift.
Preparing Students for the Workforce
The App Development with Swift curriculum gives high school and college students the critical skills they need to qualify for high-demand and high-skill jobs. In the next school year, Apple will release a free AP Computer Science Principles course syllabus and curriculum, giving high school students the opportunity to earn Advanced Placement (AP) credit for learning App Development with Swift.
Students can also earn a certification that recognizes their knowledge of Swift, app developer tools and core components of apps. The App Development with Swift Level 1 certification exams are offered through Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide.
Apple and Education
In 2016, Apple launched Everyone Can Code, a comprehensive program and curriculum to help students from kindergarten to college and beyond learn coding to solve problems and prepare them for the workforce. With teacher guides and lessons, students learn the basics on iPad with Swift Playgrounds, which uses real code to solve puzzles and control characters with just a tap. And App Development with Swift helps aspiring app developers build their first iOS apps. Today more than 5,000 schools, community colleges and technical colleges worldwide are using Everyone Can Code curriculum.
Apple’s Everyone Can Code joins Everyone Can Create as one-of-a-kind programs for teachers that help engage students in learning while building new skills in fun and meaningful ways. Designed to help unleash kids’ creativity, Everyone Can Create teaches students to develop and communicate ideas through drawing, music, video and photos on iPad.
Source: Apple Inc.
MacDailyNews Note: Register for free Hour of Code sessions — available at all Apple Store locations around the world from December 1-14 — here.