Apple’s ‘Everyone Can Code’ is expanding coding resources to students and teachers

Apple’s long-running “Everyone Can Code” initiative is expanding to offer even more resources for students and teachers.

This week, Apple is launching a completely redesigned curriculum for “Everyone Can Code”, all with the goal of rolling out additional resources to middle school and elementary students to “the world of coding”. Apple says the new curriculum is already available for those interested, and it provides even more resources to teachers as well.

Today millions of students in more than 5,000 schools worldwide already use Everyone Can Code curriculum to bring their ideas to life and develop important skills including creativity, collaboration and problem solving. Additionally, starting today, learners around the world can register for thousands of free Today at Apple coding sessions taking place in December at all Apple Stores to learn to write their first lines of code to celebrate Computer Science Education Week.

Apple’s official announcement today says that the new curriculum builds upon what the company has been working on for quite some time already, including interactive puzzles, activities, and guides to make coding more approachable.

Everyone Can Code Puzzles is an all-new student guide to Swift Playgrounds where each chapter helps students build on what they already know, experiment with new coding concepts and creatively communicate how coding impacts their lives. A companion teacher guide supports educators in bringing coding into their classrooms with helpful ways to facilitate, deepen and assess student learning. Designed to support all students, the new Everyone Can Code curriculum is optimized for VoiceOver and includes closed-captioned videos and audio descriptions as well as videos in American Sign Language.

Art is included in the process, too. Apple notes in the press release that Everyone Can Code’s curriculum “integrates Apple’s Everyone Can Create project guides”, which allows students to express the concepts they’ve learned through music, photos, videos, and drawings.

Everyone Can Code is meant to showcase the strengths of coding, make it easier to understand, and far more accessible for everyone. At the same time, the curriculum is designed to let students show off their creativity skills as well, bridging the gap between the two elements.

That’s not all, though.

Computer Science Education Week

In the press release, Apple also confirms it will be celebrating “Computer Science Education Week”. The company says that starting December 1 and running until December 15, physical Apple Stores will be hosting special events with free interactive sessions to get started with coding. Robots will be used to explore block-based coding, for instance.

Select stores will also offer special sessions for coders of all ages. Preschool-age kids can try creative pre-coding activities in the new Coding Lab with the Helpsters, a team of vibrant monsters who love to solve problems and are featured in the new live-action preschool series, available now on Apple TV+, from the makers of “Sesame Street.” Participants of all ages can also learn from Apple Distinguished Educators, Apple Entrepreneur Camp innovators, developers and artists. Customers can register for Code with Apple sessions starting today.

And, finally…

Preparing students for college and beyond

The Develop in Swift curriculum will continue to offer up techniques and “practical tools” for students to learn the skills they’ll need for “high-demand and high-skill jobs”. That particular curriculum, according to Apple, is built for both beginners and more advanced coders, and it even includes a free “AP Computer Science Principles course”, which can help them prepare for a career in that field.

The new tools are available now for both students and educators.

This initiative from Apple has been an important one for years. Not just because Apple wants more people developing applications for the App Store (but it does), but because these are crucial skills that folks interested in coding can use to advance their own careers, or find new paths.

Have you taken part in any of Apple’s efforts to get more people to code, or know someone who has?