Making the Invisible Visible: A Personal Invitation to This Year’s Hour of Code
Computer Science Education Week (December 9–15) is here, and I’m excited to officially kick off this year’s Hour of Code! This event is a unique opportunity for millions of students around the world to discover how computer science can help them realize their unboundless potential through the things they already love — music, games, movies. With new activities like Music Lab: Jam Session (in partnership with Amazon) and Minecraft: The Show Must Go On!, Hour of Code 2024 brings students closer to the technology behind the entertainment they love, turning the invisible into something tangible and exciting.
At Code.org, our mission is for every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science and AI. It’s not just about learning technical skills, it’s about creativity, problem-solving, and helping students turn their ideas into something real. This year, our theme, “Make the Invisible Visible,” is focused on exactly that — making student’s invisible potential visible through computer science and AI.
We are proud of what we’ve been able to achieve over the past 11 years of Hour of Code and all of the students that have had the opportunity to realize what they can do and achieve through just one hour of code. I often think back to the first time I saw students’ faces light up with joy as they realized they could create with code. They’d never thought of technology as something they could control, and yet there they were, bringing their creative ideas to life on screen.
Hour of Code wouldn’t be possible without Teachers
Without the dedication of hundreds of thousands of teachers and volunteers across the globe, Hour of Code wouldn’t be possible. You are the ones who take students through the process of transforming an idea into reality. You help make the invisible visible by showing students how computer science is a foundation for creativity and possibility. Your work is what makes the event come to life. You’re not just teaching students how to code; you’re helping them realize that they can be creators, innovators, and problem-solvers. I can’t thank you enough for your commitment to making computer science education accessible, engaging, and inspiring.
Celebrating Our Partners: Bringing the Invisible to Life
I’d also like to take a moment to thank all of our incredible partners that have developed or collaborated in the creation of Hour of Code activities. Together, we’re helping students see how technology powers the things they love, and we’re connecting with students across a multitude of interests.
A special thank you to Minecraft Education for their ongoing partnership — it’s hard to believe that we’ve been working together for a decade! This year’s The Show Must Go On! tutorial lets students explore how coding brings creativity and storytelling to life. Students get to solve coding puzzles to compose music, design costumes, and choreograph scenes — all within the Minecraft world. This creative activity demonstrates how coding can be more than technical — it can be a powerful medium for bringing stories to life! Since 2015, Minecraft Hour of Code has reached more than 300 million sessions, inspiring countless students to connect their passions with the power of technology.
We’re also thrilled to partner with Amazon for Music Lab: Jam Session. With AI-powered tools, students can remix chart-topping hits by artists like Shakira, and explore how music and technology intersect. It’s amazing to watch students discover how technology powers industries like music, and to see them experiment with their own creativity. Amazon’s partnership in this initiative is helping make coding more accessible and fun for students everywhere.
And of course, a big thank you to Paramount Pictures for collaborating with us to bring iconic characters from Transformers One into a Hello World activity in Sprite Lab. By coding with characters like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, students are seeing firsthand how technology brings stories and characters to life. These partnerships are helping students connect the dots between the entertainment they love and the technology that makes it all possible.
Why Hour of Code is More Important Than Ever: Unlocking the Future through Creativity and Technology
As technology rapidly advances, understanding how it works is essential for everyone, not just aspiring software engineers. Hour of Code provides an entry point to coding, giving students from age 4 to 104 the tools to shape the future, fuel their creativity, and create with today’s technologies.
In today’s tech-driven world, coding is becoming an essential literacy. Hour of Code is the introduction to understand how the world around them works. As AI and automation reshape industries, the principles of computer science and AI will help students be more than consumers of technology — it will set them on the path to be the creators and problem-solvers of tomorrow.
Hour of Code is a vital first step in helping students unlock their potential and realize that computer science is not just a skill — it’s a way to shape the future.
Join Us: Make the Invisible Visible at Hour of Code 2024
I invite you — students, teachers, and volunteers — to join us for this year’s Hour of Code. Together, we’ll explore how computer science makes the invisible visible. Whether you’re remixing beats, coding a Minecraft adventure, or bringing Transformers to life, Hour of Code is the perfect opportunity to start your journey in computer science.
The world is full of invisible ideas waiting to be brought to life, invisible potential waiting to be realized, and Hour of Code is the place where that journey begins. I can’t wait to see what you create. Register your hour of code and get helpful tools at HourOfCode.com
— Hadi Partovi, Founder, Code.org
