As a child of the 80s, with a ZX Spectrum, I tried BASIC programming at a really young age, and I think it definitely made me more motivated and interested in tech. So much so I ended up working in the field. Now, as every day life is increasingly digital, it’s time that coding, programming and other higher level tech skills are introduced to a wider range of children. After all, although many kids are great tech consumers, skilled in using social networks, mobile devices and so on, they are not often really skilled in the underlying tech. For me, it’s essential that future citizens understand the underlying technology and the power relationships involved – PRISM is just the tip of the iceberg for how society can evolve if we aren’t technically fluent and vigilant.
The cool thing is that now there are many tools targeted at younger kids to make getting into programming easier – much better than copying and adjusting code from magazines in the 80s! Here’s a roundup of some cool approaches:
- Robotics: Lego has been active for a long time with cool tools for children to build robots, using Mindstorms. The NXT website has lots of free building instructions and projects to use, and there is a great competition for Lego robots across the world. There’s also a new robot called Play-i just been launched on Kickstarter by a start up in the US, which aims to teach robotics and programming via physical play – especially interesting for really young children.
- Programming: Coder Dojo has set up a network of free training locations and mentors for children to learn programming in many countries across the world, and code.org is offering similar opportunities in the US. Microsoft’s Kodu Cup for children to build games has been launched, and is covering a number of countries round the world. Rupert Murdoch (of all people) is also launching a MOOC on computer science. There are also lots of apps available for kids to learn on their own.
The good news is that governments are also starting to make these kinds of initiatives a priority at policy level in education and training. For instance the UK Department for Education are making coding part of the curriculum, the European Commission has launched the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, a major initiative to promote access to IT skills, and there will be a campaign on e-Skills for Jobs organised by the European Commission DG Enterprise and Industry in 2014.
I’m also hoping to launch two MOOCs for primary and secondary education on teaching programming and robotics in 2014 – get in touch if you want to know more.
Bruxellista 