Apple trains Chicago teachers to put coding in more classrooms
It's partnering with Northwestern University for the new program.
Apple isn't quite done announcing educational plans in Chicago. It just unveiled a partnership with Northwestern University and public schools to help teachers bring programming and other forms of computer science into Chicago-area classrooms. The trio will set up a learning hub at Lane Tech College Prep High School (conveniently, the venue for Apple's iPad event) that will introduce high school teachers to Apple's Everyone Can Code curriculum. They'll also have the option to train in an App Development with Swift course to boost the number of high school-oriented computer science teachers.
Teachers will also have options for in-school coaching and mentorship to make sure they're comfortable with the curriculum when they're in front of actual students.
This isn't coming out of nowhere. Apple had already been working with Chicago to expand its Everyone Can Code program across the city. However, it does address a common problem with initiatives to bring coding to schools: educating the teachers themselves. It's relatively easy for tech giants to supply devices and course material, but that doesn't matter much if the teachers don't have a good grip on the information they're passing along. Apple clearly stands to gain from this (more kids will grow up using its products), but it could benefit the larger educational community if teachers feel more at ease with technology on a broader level.
