(Business Wire)  Edmentum, a leading provider of online learning solutions, announced computing as a new subject available in EducationCity, a foundational learning program for grades pre-K through 6. The new subject provides a friendly introduction to computer science, digital literacy, and information technology using engaging, interactive content.

“Technology plays a huge part in our lives, and now, more than ever, it’s important to teach students how to use it and how it works at an early age,” said Paul Johansen, chief technology officer at Edmentum. “There’s projected to be 4.2 million computer science and mathematics jobs in 2020 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and our new subject focused on computing helps students develop essential computing skills for now and later in life.”

The new subject focuses on three critical areas. The digital literacy section addresses the responsible use of technology and educates young people on how to stay safe online. The computer science section provides an introduction to programming and features the Code Crunch programming tool, which helps students explore coding and understand how code is structured. The third section, information technology, looks at the use of technology to create solutions and complete tasks such as basic email information, Internet searching, and identifying reliable websites. Some schools are planning to use computing as a prerequisite for students prior to using technology in their classrooms, and other schools are interested in using the content as an end-of-year subject.

EducationCity provides teaching resources and engaging student activities for pre-K through 6th grade language arts, math, science, computing, and ESL. It’s a standards-aligned program used by teachers for first-time instruction, targeted re-teaching, and individual practice.

Edmentum will be showcasing EducationCity’s computing lessons at booth #523 during the 2015 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Annual Conference and Exhibit Show, March 21–23, 2015, in Houston, Texas.

About Edmentum, Inc.
Edmentum, Inc. is a leading provider of online learning solutions designed to drive learner achievement for academic and career success. With more than 50 years of experience driving significant advances in the industry, Edmentum offers a wide variety of innovative solutions spanning a multitude of program areas to empower 21st century teaching and learning. For more information, visit edmentum.com.

Edmentum and EducationCity are trademarks of Edmentum, Inc.