Students Will Experience Hour of Code during December 9-15

Since there's an abundance of students at AU this week, this is so appropriate. Recently the Hour of Code was announced to the world. Now backed by Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, LinkedIn, Mark Zuckerberg, the College Board, Boys & Girls Clubs, and over 100 other partners, the initiative is getting closer to 10 million students trying one Hour of Code during December 9-15.

Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. Please check out the information at http://hourofcode.com. Growing up I always wanted to be an architect. Then in my junior year of high school, I took a BASIC programing course. The year was 1976, and our math teacher added the programming class to the De La Salle High School curriculum because he thought computers might catch on one day. Taking that class changed my life forever in so many positive and interesting ways.

• Learn to code - from Mark Zuckerberg and Angry Birds

  Code.org will provide tutorials for any browser, tablet, phone, even unplugged. The tutorial will feature Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Angry Birds, and Plants vs. Zombies.

• 1 in 4 chance of winning: laptops, or a video chat with Bill Gates

  50 schools who organize an Hour of Code for the entire school will win a class-set of laptops. 50 more will win video chats with Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey, or other tech leaders.

I eagerly await to see how this hour turns out.

Code is alive in the lab.