Learning how to program is getting a lot of buzz right now. Adults are looking around and noticing that software is eating the world and wanting to be a part of it. You even have extremely busy adults with secure jobs getting in on the action, like NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg. But what is being done for kids? There is a lot happening in this area, but it is very hard to scale. Barack Obama has been talking about it for [...]

On the Breakout Mentors blog I write about all things related to kids programming. Many times the focus is on why it is important for kids to learn to program and why it is the responsibility of the parent to introduce them to it. But of course I feel this way! I started a company to solve that specific problem – why would I invest my time in it if I didn’t think it was important? It’s my pleasure today to [...]

This article was written by Brian and originally appeared on the LearnBoost blog. LearnBoost makes software for teachers and schools allowing them to save time and money. Why computer programming goes untaught Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Teachers are no different. Yet most elementary teachers are responsible for teaching all subjects – reading, writing, math, science and social studies – even if they aren’t particularly confident in it. A 5th grade teacher who doesn’t excel in math is required [...]

A Fun Intro to the Scratch Programming Environment We are excited to announce a free Breakout Mentors event to provide 4th to 7th graders their first taste of the Scratch programming environment! If you live in the Bay Area, join us on Tuesday May 15 in Mountain View for a fun introduction to computer programming. For more details and to register for the event, please head to our Eventbrite page. Photo: julian