Apple Doubles Down on Coding Education with Free Teacher Resources
Apple has unveiled a major expansion of its free coding education initiatives, offering new tools to help educators teach Swift and Xcode effectively. The tech giant’s latest move reinforces its commitment to bridging the computer science education gap in schools worldwide.
New Professional Development for Educators
Launching July 13, Apple will provide free online training designed to help teachers at all skill levels master its Develop in Swift curriculum. This comes as part of Apple’s broader push to cultivate app development skills among students.
Key features of the updated program:
- Completely redesigned curriculum based on educator feedback
- Four immediately available books in Apple Books:
- Develop in Swift Explorations
- Develop in Swift AP CS Principles
- Develop in Swift Fundamentals
- Develop in Swift Data Collections (coming fall 2020)
Curriculum Designed for Modern Learners
The high school and college-focused program teaches Apple’s open-source Swift programming language using Xcode on Mac. Meanwhile, younger students (grades 4-8) can learn through Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum, which uses interactive puzzles and games in the Swift Playgrounds app.
New for 2020:
- Everyone Can Code Adventures (advanced follow-up to Puzzles book)
- Expanded remote learning resources for homeschoolers
- 10 coding challenges via “A Quick Start to Code”
Addressing the Computer Science Education Crisis
Apple’s initiative comes at a critical time:
- Fewer than 50% of U.S. high schools offer computer science (per Computer Science Teachers Association)
- College students face waitlists for essential CS courses
- Pandemic-induced homeschooling creates new demand for quality resources
“We’ve seen community college students build food security apps and middle school educators host virtual coding clubs,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s VP of Markets, Apps and Services. “We’re thrilled to help more educators learn coding to teach the next generation.”
The Bigger Picture: Coding Education Debate
While Apple’s “Everyone Can Code” philosophy (launched 2016) has reached 9,000 institutions globally, questions remain:
- Not all students will enjoy or excel at coding
- Bootcamp promises sometimes overhype career outcomes
- Fundamental exposure may help identify hidden tech talent
Apple’s expanded resources aim to make coding education more accessible while letting students discover their aptitudes naturally. The long-term impact on the developer pipeline and education landscape remains to be seen, but the commitment to teacher support marks a significant step forward.
Educators can access these resources through Apple Books and the Learning from Home portal, which offers virtual coaching and instructional videos.
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