Coding for Kids
Hometech Products
04/15/13
Various startups are already in on the movement to make learning how to code more accessible to the general populous, but a new tool was released last week aimed at educating children on the subject. The new company is called Tynker, and they want children to begin learning code in elementary school. Tynker believes that in our technologically saturated society, kids should grow up with at least a rudimentary understanding of how computers operate and are programmed.
The Tynker Learning Platform is designed to bring STEM learning tools to elementary school classrooms, so it’s targeted more towards teachers than students or parents. Tynker explains on their blog that their approach to teaching code isn’t just focused on perfecting Python syntax or even learning one entire programming language; rather, they want students to grasp the basic “underlying computational logic” behind each language. They insist that no child is too young to start learning to program, and remind us that coding is perhaps one of the most valuable skills this century.
The learning platform provides free access to lesson plans, tutorials, and software to assist with grading assignments and develop additional lessons. The plans include kid-friendly, fun assignments that will hopefully entice school-aged children to continue learning more complex forms of code, as they get older. The projects range from building mobile games to producing cartoons. Silicon Valley has already fallen in love with the beta version of the school program.
Codeacademy is one of the most popular platforms designed for teensn and adults that teaches anyone to learn how to code, starting with the very basics. The idea is that programming skills should be encouraged among the general public through simple step-by-step lessons. The approach is practical rather than theoretical, allowing students to start creating small programs from the get-go, which will hopefully attract more people to the learning process than if the lessons began with ideas, definitions and theory.
