November 8, 2023
UPDATE
Apple’s Swift Scholar Problem to open in February 2024 with new Distinguished Winners class
Introducing new Everybody Can Code assets to assist educators in bringing app design and growth to college students
Apple’s Swift Student Challenge has given hundreds of scholars world wide the chance to showcase their creativity and construct real-world expertise to take into their careers and past. Since 2020, college students collaborating within the problem have joined a worldwide group of builders utilizing Swift — the identical programming language utilized by professionals — to create the following wave of groundbreaking apps. The subsequent problem will open in February 2024, and can embody a brand new class recognizing 50 Distinguished Winners, who will probably be named for standout submissions.
Curiosity amongst college students who want to be taught coding and app growth is widespread, and these expertise are seen as extremely fascinating, whether or not college students intend to work within the expertise sector or not. In an independent survey of greater than 1,000 college students in the USA in September, researchers from YPulse discovered that 92 % of scholars imagine you will need to discover ways to code and 94 % imagine coding is a vital talent for the longer term job market. As well as, college students acknowledge a number of advantages of understanding code and construct apps, together with boosting creativity, fixing native and international issues, and finally making the world a greater place.
Consciousness of and entry to coding and app growth assets are essential for learners — whereas the survey discovered that 85 % of scholars haven’t but taken steps however want to be taught to code, 48 % don’t know the place to start out. Apple’s Swift Playgrounds app was designed to take learners from their first line of code to constructing their first app in Swift. It’s an awesome instrument for newcomers to discover, be taught, uncover, and experiment with coding and app growth on iPad and Mac.
“At Apple, we imagine that everybody can be taught to code and construct apps, and we’re proud to assist and acknowledge aspiring pupil builders with the Swift Scholar Problem every year,” stated Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice chairman of Worldwide Developer Relations and Training & Enterprise Advertising and marketing. “We all know that college students are desirous to be taught coding expertise to resolve challenges they care about — whether or not it’s constructing an app to assist friends determine psychological well being assets or supporting sustainability efforts on campus — and wish to know get began. Apple is releasing new coding assets for college kids and educators, working with our group companions on devoted Swift programming, and sharing advance discover of the Swift Scholar Problem timeline for 2024. We will’t wait to see the app playgrounds college students submit subsequent yr.”
To assist convey app growth to learners, Apple works with educators across the globe. To assist educating Swift Playgrounds for educators, 4 new Everybody Can Code Initiatives present step-by-step assets to information college students in growing important expertise whereas creating apps that remedy issues they care about.
Tina Lewis is a seventh grade life sciences instructor with Montgomery Public Colleges in Alabama, an Apple Studying Coach, and a brand new Apple Distinguished Educator from the category of 2023. She additionally runs a coding membership at Brewbaker Center College. “As a instructor, it’s vital to create a protected area the place my college students may be heard,” stated Lewis. “With coding, you possibly can create that area actually, whereas sparking college students’ curiosity and constructing resilience within the face of failure.”
Lewis taught herself to code in 2021 utilizing the Everybody Can Code educator assets and Swift Playgrounds on iPad alongside her college students. One in every of her college students went on to take part within the Swift Scholar Problem in 2022. “I’m motivated by my college students’ creativity and being the kind of instructor that may activate that gentle for my children,” stated Lewis.
Along with working with educators worldwide, Apple helps learners in 99 international locations and areas by its Group Training Initiative, such because the Nationwide Coalition of Certification Facilities (NC3). NC3 gives hands-on skilled growth alternatives to arrange group and technical school and highschool instructors to show App Growth with Swift. This yr, the group is committing to serving to extra college students than ever submit their app tasks for the Swift Scholar Problem in 2024.
“The Swift Scholar Problem is a stepping stone for younger expertise, and we’re constructing a pathway for his or her success,” stated Roger Tadajewski, NC3’s government director. “App Growth with Swift coaching equips college with the abilities to information college students, fostering an atmosphere the place curiosity is widely known, creativity is inspired, and each concept is given the chance to flourish.”
New Everybody Can Code Initiatives
Apple’s new Everybody Can Code Initiatives present step-by-step assets to assist educators information college students by each step of their coding and app growth journey, and develop important expertise whereas creating apps that remedy issues they care about.
Everybody Can Code Initiatives may be built-in into any topic space, and are good for the classroom or coding golf equipment. They introduce college students to SwiftUI — the trendy technique to construct consumer interfaces with surprisingly little code — and use the newest app-building applied sciences in Swift Playgrounds. As they code, college students can see how their app modifications in actual time with App Preview.
4 new Initiatives accessible at this time embody:
- Design a Easy App: College students can create an app prototype in Keynote to be taught the basics of app design, follow speedy prototyping, and accumulate suggestions, following the identical steps as skilled builders.
- Construct with Stacks and Shapes: College students can take the primary steps of constructing an app in Swift Playgrounds and code a self-portrait or a murals utilizing SwiftUI to be taught the basics of consumer interface design.
- Construct Customized Shapes: College students can convey an app interface to the following stage by designing a form, studying plot the coordinates, and coding their customized form utilizing SwiftUI and the About Me pattern app inside Swift Playgrounds.
- Design an App Icon: College students can be taught and apply app design ideas to create a novel and memorable app icon that communicates an concept; follow speedy prototyping; accumulate suggestions; and add the icon to Swift Playgrounds to grow to be a part of an app.
Everybody Can Code Initiatives with Swift Playgrounds make it simpler than ever to show and be taught coding, app design, and app growth on iPad and Mac — good for moments that remember coding expertise world wide this season, together with STEAM Day at this time within the U.S., in addition to Pc Science Training Week and Hour of Code in December, celebrated throughout 180 international locations and areas.
New assets for educating coding and app growth with Swift Playgrounds, together with 4 new Everybody Can Code Initiatives, are actually accessible within the Apple Education Community, the place educators can discover assets for any talent stage, join with friends, and extra. Swift Playgrounds 4.4 is obtainable now, and contains assist for Swift 5.9, and SDKs for iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma.
College students will probably be invited to submit their app playgrounds for the Swift Scholar Problem throughout a three-week window in February 2024. Enroll at developer.apple.com to be notified when the problem is open. Out of 350 total winners, 50 Distinguished Winners will probably be invited to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, subsequent summer time, the place they’ll have the chance to attach with one another and the Apple group. All winners will obtain a one-year membership into the Apple Developer Program, which permits them to submit apps to the App Retailer and obtain assist from Apple.
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Apple
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