Coding for Kids
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Coding in the News: July 2020
The technological revolution is alive and kicking with a seemingly endless stream of announcements of awe-inspiring innovation. Yesterday, it was the out-of-this-world new device your neighbor was showing off. Today, it’s the amazing app your kid downloaded to your phone that’s going to change your life. Tomorrow, who knows?
What’s happening in the world of technology? Are the possibilities to create really infinite? And where does it all start? At its core, everything begins with imagination, the ability to think outside the box. So, the question becomes how to bring these dreams to life. And in the 21st century, one answer is clear: Computer Programming or Coding.
At Tynker, we teach kids how to code, so we know that triumphs in technology come in all different sizes. Whereas some can have an enormous global impact, others will fill just a unique niche, yet both are essential to tech’s vibrant fabric. Meanwhile, your kid is obsessed with making new Minecraft skins. But, don’t worry. When you add Tynker to the Minecraft mix, they’re also learning code!
Here’s some interesting tech news that we think shines a light on how coding can have a positive impact on the world:
Protecting our Coral Reefs
By combining their resources, 47 Commonwealth countries around the globe will be able to take hi-resolution satellite images to monitor their endangered coral reefs. Marine biologists will then study these images to determine the necessary steps to protect the reefs from the perils of climate change, overfishing, oil drilling, and pollution. According to Baroness Patricia Scotland, secretary-general of the Commonwealth, there’s an urgent need to be concerned about the health of our oceans: “When we stop [exploiting it], nature restores itself very rapidly. But we have not got a lot of time.”
The SlothBot!
Robotic engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have built an energy-efficient robot named the SlothBot to navigate through endangered ecosystems on a suspended wire . . . slowly. Giving scientists the ability to monitor plants and animals up close will help them save rare species and their habitats from extinction. “The most exciting goal we’ll demonstrate with SlothBot is the union of robotics and technology with conservation,” said Emily Coffey, vice president for conservation and research at Atlanta’s Botanical Garden. We agree!
Robots—on a farm?
Clint Brauer grows his own vegetables on his farm in Kansas. He also has a llama, sheep, and 10 robots. Robots? That’s right. His goal was to make his crops chemical and pesticide-free, but he had a problem. “You got to start with weeds,” he said. “It’s the number one thing that farmers are fighting.”
To get rid of weeds without using chemicals, however, you have to till the land, but the disruption to the soil can reduce its efficiency. His answer is a 140-pound, battery-operated robot which uses a programmed map to mow down the weeds at a designated depth. Pretty cool, huh?
3700+ Courses and Activities
At Tynker, we know the possibilities for discovery in technology are endless, which means it’s anyone’s guess what the future holds for computer programming, just that developing focus and creativity in young coders is a great start.
Tynker offers over 3,700 courses and activities for all ages and experience levels, emphasizing interest-based paths that make learning to code FUN.
We’ve taught more than 60 million kids around the world how to code with our award-winning platform, ages 5 to 18, from kindergarten all the way through high school.
What will your kids create with code?
