Hour of Code Breaks Indiegogo Most Funded Record Thanks to Facebook’s Zuckerberg & Gates & Co.

An Hour of Code 2

Last month, nonprofit computer science organization, Code.org, launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, seeking $5,000,000 for its new program known as An Hour of Code.  Since its debut, the project has raised $2,842,038 from 1,602 backers, which has broken the all-time record on the global platform topping Stone Brewing Company.

Code.OrgAs previously reported, the project gives 100 million students through the world an opportunity to have one hour per day of computer science. The organization revealed that 90% of schools still do not teach computer science. In the 21st century. Schools teach kids how to dissect a frog and how weather works, but almost nothing about computer science. A little strange? Definitely.

Today, it’s equally fundamental to learn to “dissect an app,” or how the Internet works. Every young person deserves basic knowledge of how the world works around them and how to build technology that’s changing the world. Code.Org declared on the campaign’s website, “Our goal this year is to train 10,000 computer science teachers, and to get 100 million students to try one Hour of Code, across all grades, worldwide. We need $5 million to do this.”

While discussing his interest in computer science, entrepreneur and founder of Code.org, Hadi Partovi noted,“I didn’t think about it when I was little. But when I graduated from college – anyone in tech recognizes the shortage of tech graduates. Companies are always seeking engineers – and it’s for all kinds of industries. There’s a deep need for computer science.

hadi_partovi“What’s interesting, though, is that while the need has grown, there are slightly fewer computer science students now than there were 10 years ago. There are more jobs that there are computer science graduates. It doesn’t make sense. I realized our education system hadn’t caught up with the new century.

“The U.S., while leading in tech, is behind when it comes to computer science education. Where I went to school [in Iran], the majority of kids learn something computer related. Iran is actually ahead of us in computer programming. The U.K. is also ahead of us. Computer science is built-in as part of the entire school curriculum. It’s a new field though. Every part of the world needs to catch up.”

According to the TNW, entrepreneur and founder of Code.org, Hadi Partovi, raised $10 million from big-name technologists such as Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to launch the non-profit website. Zuckerberg has also become one of the key backers of Code.org’s campaign and has even donated $1 million between he and venture capitalist, John Doerr.

It was also reported that every donation is being matched dollar-by-dollar by other Code.org backers, which include Bill Gates and LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman. Those interested in backing the project have until December 14th. 


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