ThinkSpace Launch Aims to Bring Software Development to High School Worldwide

The organization created by sixteen-year-old James Anderson, Thinkspace, seeks to "inspire the next generation of app developers" through dedicated coding zones in high schools across the globe. Thinkspace campus was formally launched by Anderson this month with campuses in Plymouth and Northern Ireland. According to Anderson, Thinkspace idea came up when he became disappointed with the UK educational system's approach to computer information and related topics. Anderson's idea is to create "Thinkspaces" within schools rather than attempting to change the curriculum. A Thinkspace is essentially a room filled with computers and mobile devices so that students are encouraged to build whatever software they can imagine. The first "Thinkspace" is located at Plymouth's Devonport High School for Boys, it contains Android devices, Apple devices and Windows phone devices, all connected to an assortment of Mac and PC computers. The 16-year-old programmer, James Anderson, revealed that the flagship UK campus cost around £10,000, stating that the goal is not necessarily to build state-of-the-art development labs, but rather to provide students with a place to go in order to learn to code, collaborate on projects, and just build software. According to the official website of Thinkspace any school interested in establishing a Thinkspace is welcome to join the program. The only requirement is that a teacher from the school join Thinkspace Social—a development-oriented social network created by Anderson—and begin inviting students from the school. The Thinkspace project has gained the backing of many well-known public figures, such as Google SVP of Engineering Vic Gundotra, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Virgin founder Richard Branson, and top executives from other companies like Microsoft. Watch the video introduction of Thinkspace: