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What is coding all about and why is everyone so
desperate for their kids to learn? Olivia Maitre finds out
T
oday, there seems to be more and more focus on
coding. This shouldn’t be too hard to understand
as it is the new alphabet of this generation.
Considering how children have tangible and
creative minds, teaching them how to code has to happen
now. As with any language, it will be best taught at a young
age – more specifically before the age of seven. Kids these
days are already very familiar with technology, be it through
the use of video games or through their mum’s (or their own)
phone. But being familiar doesn’t make them completely
fluent. Whether you love coding or not, in this digital age, it’s
definitely something to consider learning – especially when
the US Bureau of Labour Statistics projects that by 2020,
there will be 1.4 million computer-science-related
jobs available.
Coding: Defined
Before delving into the importance of teaching coding to
kids, let’s examine the definition of coding: “a method of
making something easy to recognise or distinct, for example
by colouring it”. Doesn’t seem too complicated, right?
Computer coding is exactly the same concept – simply
put, it is telling the computer what it should do. As you can
imagine, the definitions of computer coding, the terms and
languages are more complex, but let’s concentrate on the
bigger picture.
Probably the biggest misconception of coding is that it is
solely built for people with mathematical skills. In fact, it can
be for anyone who wants to make a difference – regardless of
their mathematical abilities. Or, simply, for anyone who would
like to understand the magic behind the technology they use
every day. Another important misconception is to think that
coding is only made for “geniuses”, that is to say, for people
with an IQ of 160. Programming is for anyone who knows
how to communicate and who has an interest. Anyone who
owns a computer knows that the machine works with logic.
But this logic can be easily taught and in a fun way. This
doesn’t only apply to kids – it can apply to anyone, regardless
of their age, who is willing to learn how to code.
Here, it only seems right to mention the free website
Scratch designed by the MIT Media Lab and built especially
for children using a visual programming language. This
illustrates exactly how learning to code can be like an
entertaining game for kids.
As you can see from the Scratch image featured above,
the different coding variables are dragged into the desktop
area to form blocks that tell the Sprite (here, the cat) what to
do. The variables come under different categories such as
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