by Preston FoerNovember 7, 2023, 10:17 p.m.
There’s a lot of talk about how AI will change the world.
For many people, these effects are not very noticeable on a daily basis. But in the field of education, the future has already arrived and it is growing rapidly.
code.org There is no difference. Hadi Partovi, the company’s founder and CEO, said the explosion in popularity, access, and functionality of AI has helped the education nonprofit completely control what and how to teach students. It is said to be re-evaluating.
“For Code.org, the last year has been fundamentally a year of rapid change, because for us, there’s not just one thing we’re doing differently,” he says. luck. “We are reinventing our company in many ways around AI, both in terms of what we teach our students and how we teach them.”
The platform has been, and continues to be, focused on building foundational computer science skills, especially among women and underrepresented groups. But AI is becoming increasingly integrated. Partovi says it’s more important than ever to learn about it. In fact, he says this will give students “superpowers” to become faster and better programmers.
Computer Science > Mathematics?
Partovi founded Code.org with the vision that every student and every school should have the opportunity to study computer science. That mission hasn’t changed even after 10 years.
Today, the nonprofit boasts more than 80 million student and 2 million teacher users.
In fact, he says learning about computer science, which in his classification includes coding and AI, is the most important thing students can continue to learn. Without it, he says, it will be much harder for individuals to find work as roles become increasingly digital and technological.
“Once you learn basic reading and writing, nothing is more important than computer science,” he says. “Math will be more important than math for graduates in the 2030s.”
Employment for computer and information research scientists is growing at a rate of 23%, which is much faster than the national average. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. There are many computer-related jobs, but the median salary is in the six-figure range.
In addition to AI, digital skills such as computer science, computational thinking, robotics, and cybersecurity should also be part of a basic liberal arts education, he added.
“This is not a new message for us, but it is a message that particularly resonates in the age of AI, because the rise of generative AI tools really shows that education cannot stay the same.” Partovi points out.
Look no further than our annual report to see Code.org’s investments in AI education. code time. The one-hour introduction aims to raise awareness and reduce stigma about computer science, proving that anyone can learn about the subject. This year’s theme is “Creativity with AI” and encourages students to engage in activities such as generative AI and responsible use.
Our partners range from business leaders like Tim Cook to Bill Gates. Sports like Serena Williams and Neymar Jr. Politicians like Barack Obama and Justin Trudeau are also all about promoting digital literacy.
Over the years, Hour of Code has reached over 100 million students worldwide. This year it will be officially launched during Computer Science Education Week, which begins on December 3rd.
Cutting-edge technology education policy
Beyond online learning, Code.org and its leaders are also playing a key role in shaping the future of AI in education.
According to Partovi, the nonprofit organization has supported more than 300 policies and bills in the United States to promote computer science, and globally, Code.org has supported computer science learning development plans in 70 countries. .
“Code.org doesn’t just create courses for students and classrooms. We have a pretty big global voice on the policy side,” he says, adding that educators need an organization to understand the technology. He added that he knows him well and trusts him.
Earlier this year, we launched Code.org in collaboration with Khan Academy, the World Economic Forum, and others. TeachAI—A community of education and technology experts working together to help educators understand AI and how to best teach students about it.
This group has recently AI Guidance Toolkit for Schools, a resource for educators, school leaders, and policy makers as technology is integrated into the classroom. It outlines seven fundamental principles to consider when creating AI policies: purpose, compliance, knowledge, balance, integrity, ownership, and evaluation.
The goal of the Partovi group and toolkit is to help develop concrete and useful policies that are not just aimed at making people “feel good.”
“It’s clear that we should be teaching writing with AI, not just writing the old-fashioned way. We need to teach coding with AI, not just coding the old-fashioned way. .These are about policy changes that need to be made on a global scale,” says Partovi.
But he also acknowledged that without greater emphasis on computer science training, AI will only widen the digital divide. He says AI technology won’t help non-technical people learn to code. You still need the skills to read code, look for bugs, and check its validity.
Code.org has also developed additional resources through its partnership, including: AI 101 for teachers– A video series aimed at providing more information and demystifying AI in the classroom.