Google has launched a website to make it easier to find information about the company's learning programs, educational tools and resources.

The website is designed to help fight the shortage of students taking computer science at high school and university. The U.S. is currently producing only 16,000 computer science (CS) graduates a year, even though the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there will be more than 1.3 million job openings in computer and mathematical occupations by 2022, the majority requiring at least a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or in Information Technology. The low figure is partially due to too few students have the opportunity to study computer science in high school. Google’s research shows that only 25% of U.S. schools currently offer CS with programming or coding.

Google's new CS EDU website is designed to be a showcase of the options Google has developed to help provide improved access to material that can help computer science students learn in formal and informal education. The range of current programs ranges from free computer science clubs to programming tools. All the programs were already available, but the site brings them together in a more accessible format. 

The resources on the site include:

• CS First. This is a set of materials aimed at teachers and volunteers who want to run after-school, in-school, and summer programs for middle school students to increase student access and exposure to CS education. The online material uses Scratch block-based coding.
  
  
• Exploring Computational Thinking. This is a curated collection of lesson plans, videos, and other resources on computational thinking (CT), designed to give educators and administrators a better understanding of CT. The plan includes lesson plans and demonstrations for students aged 8 to 18.
  
  
• igniteCS, a Google led initiative that supports student groups who want to develop and deliver a computer science outreach program in their community.
  
  
• Blockly and other programming tools that are used for Code.org’s Hour of Code.
  
  
• Google’s Made with Code. This is a movement aimed at inspiring girls to learn to code and to see it as a means to pursue their dream careers. So far more than 10 million unique visitors have visited the site. 

More Information

CS EDU Site

Google Education Blog

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