Code.org, the non-profit whose goal is to teach computer science to every child in America, is bringing an especially computer savvy guest to “Code Break,” which it calls the world’s largest live interactive classroom.
Seattle entrepreneur and Code.org founder Hadi Partovi will welcome Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to the hour-long video stream on Wednesday, April 22.
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A mix of inspiration, community, and computer science, Partovi said the plan during Gates’ participation is to combine a discussion about the COVID-19 pandemic with a lesson in computer science, connecting to Gates’ philanthropic work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“Bill will engage in a Q&A with students, and in fact we’re going to allow students to submit questions in advance for Bill to answer,” Partovi said. “The lesson itself will teach (at a very basic level of coding) how to simulate the spread of a virus, and how to use data analysis to make an app to give you local stats on the pandemic.”
Previous guests on Code Break have included actor Hill Harper; actress Lyndsey Scott and entrepreneur Mark Cuban; and actor and investor Ashton Kutcher and cybersecurity expert Mia Gil Epner.
Partovi said he’s been fortunate to have had the support of those folks and that it was not easy to land Gates as a guest. But he called it a “unique time,” when “absolutely everybody is home and dealing with this pandemic, and they want to help.”
And he said personal moments have been really special, taking the lessons far beyond learning computer science. Harper brought his son to the class, for example, and Kutcher offered an inspirational message about how success isn’t about genius, it’s about persistence and hard work. And Cuban encouraged students to spend this time to learn an all new life skill.
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“By far the most surprising was when a student asked Hill Harper about the growing importance of computer science,” Partovi said. “Hill grabbed his laptop and walked the entire audience into his shower to show that his shower has a touch-screen, as an example of how technology is everywhere.”
In what has become one of Code.org’s most viral efforts ever, with schools closed and students home everywhere, the Code Break audience is encouraged to interact with polls and chat and learn computer science in a global audience of over 10,000 live students ranging from every U.S. state and as far away as India, Ghana or Argentina.
“There are 1 billion students at home with schools closed. Most don’t have a plan to stay learning, and most schools don’t even teach computer science in the first place,” Partovi said. “For just one hour a week we can help give students lessons and encourage them to learn one of the most important life skills of the 21st century.”
All ages welcome, via phone or computer, and to participate in the Code Break episode, make sure to download Zoom beforehand. Or you can watch Code Break live on YouTube at 10 a.m. PT on April 22.
