iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Underqualified. Overwhelmed. Underfunded. Those are among the reasons teachers give, in a new survey, as to why they or other educators at their school don’t teach students computer science — on the first day of the annual Computer Science Education Week.

And in a move partly designed to shore up educators, Microsoft is commiting a new $10 million to help Seattle-based computer science nonprofit Code.org provide teachers with professional development about the subject, as well as promote computer-science friendly policies at the state level, between now and 2020.

It’s not that K-12 educators don’t think computer science is important. The survey, conducted by YouGov in November and released by Microsoft on Monday, found 88 percent of the 540 U.S. K-12 teachers asked agreed that computer science is critical to students’ success in the workplace. Teachers also see other, non-coding benefits to a computer science education: 38 percent said it could help students with general problem solving, and 31 percent identified better logic and reasoning skills.

And as to the pure coding part of computer science? In the survey, 83 percent of teachers think coding can build student creativity, too.

Microsoft released a new app called Photos Companion that lets you wirelessly move photos between your phone and PC.

Microsoft MakeCode brings computer science to life for all students with fun projects, immediate results, and both block and text editors for learners at different levels.

MakeCode takes a unique approach to Computing Education by combining the magic of Making with the power of Code as a way to make learning about computers and technology more accessible, and interesting to a wider audience of students.

See below for resources to get started with Microsoft MakeCode.