Apple is celebrating next December’s Computer Science Education Week with free youth coding sessions across all of its retail stores next month.
Now, Canadians can register on Apple’s website for free Hour of Code sessions, which will take place between December 1st and 14th. This marks the sixth year that Apple has offered a limited-time period of Hour of Code daily sessions.
During December 1st and 14th, Apple will host Kids Hour sessions for children aged six to 12 that teach the basics of coding with robots. Children 12 and above, meanwhile, will be able to attend sessions that use Swift Playgrounds and iPad to learn higher level coding concepts.
Outside of the Apple Store, educators can use a new ‘Hour of Code Facilitator Guide’ in Swift Playgrounds or other iPad apps to better map out teaching sessions. A new Swift Coding Club kit has also been introduced to help teachers, students and club mentors create their own coding clubs. The kit allows students aged eight and up to work on apps that can be used in their communities.
Looking forward, Apple says it will also release a free AP Computer Science Principles course syllabus and curriculum for high school students to earn Advanced Placement (AP) credit for learning App Development with Swift Playgrounds. A certification can also be earned that recognizes student knowledge of Swift, app developer tools and core components of apps.
More information on all of Apple’s educational offerings can be found here.
