Google and World Wildlife Fund Use Technology to Teach Students About the Environment

Google and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are working together to provide students around the world the resources to learn more about the environment and coding basics this Earth Day.

WWF recently launched a new educational resource, Wild Classroom, that connects educators and parents with the materials they need to help kids explore and understand the natural world around them. Wild Classroom includes a growing library of conservation-focused toolkits that interweaves engaging species-specific content with other conservation issues, including habitat loss, climate change, poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

“Instilling a love for science and nature in people beginning at a young age will help create a better future for our planet,” said Katy Fenn, head of Wild Classroom at WWF. “This exciting partnership brings to life wildlife and wild places so kids can create their own stories of our natural world and be inspired to help.”

Starting April 9, Google will also offer a new activity within its online CS First program. The popular Create your own Google logo activity will be specially customized for Earth Day, featuring new avatars that follow a Species and Sustainability theme. This activity will give teachers the opportunity to bring both a computer science and environmental lesson into their classrooms, as students will be able to customize their creations using the introductory coding language Scratch.

“We’re so excited to bring this activity to students interested in exploring computer science,” said Maggie Johnson, VP of Education Programs at Google. “It’s so important for kids to learn about their environment, and technology can help kids learn about the world around them in new and different ways.”

CS First is a free program that increases student access and exposure to Computer Science (CS) education through  in school and after school programs. The program gives teachers, students, and parents - with or without CS experience - the tools they need to grow and nurture a student’s interest in coding. Our research has found that students who have been encouraged by a teacher or parent are three times more likely to be interested in learning CS. 

The new CS First activity will be available to students everywhere starting on April 9. For more information about CS First, please visit g.co/csfirst.

About Google for Education
Google is committed to directing our resources — our products, programs, philanthropy and people — toward making education accessible for everyone. While technology alone won’t fix or improve education, it can be a powerful part of the solution, and we want to help ensure that all teachers and students are able to benefit from it. We’ll continue working toward a future where every student has access to the skills they’ll need and the quality education they deserve. For more information about our work in education, visit edu.google.com and follow along at @GoogleForEdu.

About World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest conservation news by following @WWFNews on Twitter.