Facebook created CodeFWD to expand access and participation of underrepresented students in computer science.
CodeFWD by Facebook is a free online program by Facebook for educators and organizations working with 4th through 8th graders in the U.S. that uses videos and other activities to inspire interest in the field of computer programming.
Education Partnerships Director of Facebook, Lauryn Ogbechie says, “To help educators inspire students to pursue computer programming, today we’re introducing CodeFWD by Facebook. CodeFWD is a free online education program created in partnership with Sphero to increase the amount of underrepresented and female students interested in studying computer science.
Lauryn continued saying, “Schools and learning communities are among the most important communities that we all belong to. At Facebook, we’re creating the programs, tools, and products to build diverse education communities that bring the world closer together. We’re working on a number of initiatives like CodeFWD to widen the pipeline of diverse talent studying computer science so the next generation of tech innovators reflects and incorporates diverse perspectives, building a future that benefits us all.”
How CodeFWD Works
CodeFWD by Facebook designed for both English and Spanish speakers is a three-step program where educators and organizations introduce computer programming to 4th through 8th grade students:
- I do: educators learning. CodeFWD prepares educators to introduce the basics of computer programming to their students, even as they may be discovering the concepts themselves.
- We do: educators and students learn together. The next set of online activities is designed for educators to use to introduce students to computer programming.
- You do: students practice their new skills. During this last set of activities, educators are supporting their students as they take what they’ve learned and apply it to block-based coding exercises.
After completing these three steps, educators who want to continue developing their students’ coding skills using a tangible, hands-on product can apply to earn a free classroom set of programmable robots from Facebook partner Sphero.
Educators and educational organizations are essential to expose more underrepresented and female students to computer programming and to create the next generation of diverse tech innovators. CodeFWD by Facebook will help support educators and organizations as they introduce and inspire underrepresented students to study computer science.
