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Gates, Zuckerberg to deliver free coding lesson

We all have so much to learn from the guys who brought us Clippy and Poke

Code.org, the organisation that believes “every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer programming” has signed up Microsoft Bill Gates and Facebook supremo Mark Zuckerberg to teach programming.

The pair will each participate in an “Hour of Code”, 60-minute programming tutorials that are one one of the initiatives planned for 2013's Computer Science Education Week (CSEW) starting on December 9th. Gates will also participate in a one-hour video conference with a school that signs up for CSEW.

The two moguls have also thrown their companies' weight behind CSEW, ofering prizes and help for the week.

Hours of Code will help kids to learn programming through “a game that teaches basic coding principles” and includes “artwork from popular games such as Rovio's 'Angry Birds' and PopCap Games’ 'Plants vs. Zombies'."

Just how much input Zuckerberg and Gates have into the tutorial in which they appear has not been determined, but it's hard not to imagine the men who brought the world Poke and Clippy don't have an enormous amount to impart to aspiring programmers.

A less cynical view could suggest it's a fine thing that coders with such high profiles and successful careers have found the time to help with the event.

Educators who like the idea of running an Hour of Code can find resources here. Reg readers who like the idea of giving their non-technical co-workers an insight into their professional lives may also find this guide to staging an Hour of Code in the workplace useful. ®

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