Microsoft: Make 11-Year-Olds ‘Future Ready’ With Minecraft Python Hour of Code

theodp writes: The upcoming “Hack the Classroom: STEM Edition,” Microsoft explains, “is a [3-day] free virtual event series designed for K-12 educators, parents, and guardians. The sessions will feature resources and tutorials to help educators support students in learning future-ready skills. These lessons can be easily incorporated into classroom curriculum while preparing for this year’s Hour of Code event — a global effort to teach and demystify coding, during Computer Science Education Week, December 7-13.” Microsoft has boasted that the Hour of Code enabled it to reach tens of millions of schoolchildren each year with its drag-and-drop Minecraft-themed tutorials. New for middle and high schoolers this year is the Minecraft Python Hour of Code, which presumably taps into the just-released Python Content for Minecraft: Education Edition (sample Python 101 Lesson). The Hour of Code is run by Microsoft-funded Code.org, whose Board of Directors include Microsoft President Brad Smith.