Yesterday, Apple announced that in celebration of Computer Science Education Week, registration for its fifth annual round of Hour of Code classes is officially open to anyone who is interested in learning to code. There are thousands of sessions available at all Apple Stores from December 4 through 10, many of them focused specifically on young aspiring coders. However, coders of all ages are, of course, welcome.
The topics of classes cover everything from the absolute basics to app design, and there's even a special Kids Hour workshop showing youngsters how to bring Star Wars Sphero droids to life by programming their movements on an iPad. If your kiddo doesn't have their own droid and device, no worries — they'll be provided for use during the workshop free of charge.
In addition to the workshops, Apple is offering a brand new coding challenge in the Swift Playgrounds app, a free app for iPad that teaches coding through play. It's available in 15 languages, and allows users to do things like solve puzzles and experiment to learn the basics of the Swift programming language. This year's challenge "invites students to build a digital robot and customize it with new parts including cyborg eyes and electric hula hoop arms."
- Swift Playgrounds - Free - Download now
If you'd like to get your code on, you can register by heading to Apple's Hour of Code page. Once there, you can scroll through the available sessions in your area. If you find one you think you'd enjoy, all you have to do is click Details and then Sign me up. You'll be asked for your Apple ID and password in order to register for a spot, but admission is totally free. Spots will likely be going quick, though, so make sure to reserve yours ASAP.
Thoughts? Questions?
Have you ever attended an Hour of Code workshop in the past? How did you like it? If you've never participated, are you considering it this year? Share your experiences with us in the comments!
