New Education Bill to Get More Coding in Classrooms

Wall Street Journal, Digits | Yoree Koh | Dec. 10

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/12/10/new-education-bill-to-get-more-coding-in-classrooms/

“The sweeping bipartisan education bill signed into law on Thursday contained a nugget of good news for the tech industry: computer science has been recognized as important an academic subject as math and English, potentially introducing it into more classrooms across the U.S. Computer science has been included in the definition of well-rounded education subjects in the new Every Student Succeeds Act, putting it on equal footing with other subjects when state and local policymakers decide how to dole out federal funds. ‘This week marks a watershed moment for computer science in U.S. schools,’ Hadi Partovi, technology entrepreneur and the founder of the education non-profit Code.org, wrote in an email. ‘ In just two years this field has been adopted by all the largest cities, almost 100 school districts. It’s great to see the Federal government finally recognize this field as a foundational academic subject.’ ”

 

UW President: GIX Will Increase Seattle Area’s Influence in China

Puget Sound Business Journal | Ashley Stewart | Dec. 11

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2015/12/uw-president-gix-will-increase-seattle-areas.html

“A new partnership between Washington state’s largest university and China’s version of MIT will help establish the Puget Sound region’s influence in one of the world’s most consequential economics…Bolstered by a $40 million investment from Microsoft, UW and China’s Tsinghua University earlier this year announced a partnership to create the world’s first technology graduate program. The Global Innovation Exchange, which will occupy 100,000-square-feet of office space in Bellevue’s Spring District, hopes to enroll 3,000 graduate students in technology degree programs before 2025. The program has obvious benefits for the region. It will attract talent from around the world and could be as important for Seattle’s growing technology industry as Stanford was to Silicon Valley.”

 

Lawmakers Geek out over Washington State’s Rising Space Industry

GeekWire | Alan Boyle | Dec. 10

http://www.geekwire.com/2015/lawmakers-geek-out-over-washington-states-rising-space-industry/

“That was the point of today’s hearing, presided over by Lt. Gov. Brad Owen: to let legislators know that there’s much more than Boeing to the state’s profile in the aerospace industry. The Washington State Space Coalition lists 30 ventures with connections to outer space and the Evergreen State…That critical mass of business activity, and the backing of billionaires and venture capitalists, are among the reasons why Washington is becoming a space hub, said Joe Landon, the Seattle-based chairman of Space Angels Network. Another reason is the region’s high level of engineering talent: Landon pointed out that ‘the software is becoming more valuable than the hardware’ in a field where smaller satellites are providing bigger capabilities.”

 

Here Are the Five Biggest Seattle-Area Tech Stories of 2015

Puget Sound Business Journal | Ashley Stewart | Dec. 10

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2015/12/10/here-are-the-five-biggest-seattlearea-tech-stories.html

“For the Seattle area’s largest technology companies, 2015 was a year for big risks. Microsoft released its flagship product for free and released the company’s first-ever laptop, competing with its own customers. Expedia announced plans to move across Lake Washington and bought out some of its biggest competitors. Starbucks launched a mobile payments platform to become a technology company. Here’s a look back at those bets and more of 2015’s biggest technology stories…”

 

Microsoft’s Nadella Gives Seattle Kids a Hand with Coding

The Seattle Times | Matt Day | Dec. 7

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/microsoft/microsofts-nadella-gives-seattle-kids-a-hand-with-coding/

“Microsoft says more than 1,000 employees volunteered last year to teach coding at schools and community centers, and a spokesman said more are expected to head out this year. The company also hosts workshops at retail stores and offices. The push isn’t exclusive to Microsoft. Tech companies across the country are donating to and supporting causes that encourage technology education both inside and outside of schools… Microsoft in September said it would spend $75 million over three years to increase access to computer-science education for kids, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.”