There has been a sweeping movement in schools across the country to introduce computer programming courses as part of the regular curriculum. Tech-centric group Code.org is one of the driving forces behind this introduction, stating on their website that nearly 20,000 educators in grades kindergarten through high school have implemented coding instruction in their classsrooms.
Besides giving children an advantage in the world of rapidly developing technology, learning programming language (coding) can give kiddos a true insight into the tech that they use every day. It’s almost like teaching them a foreign language – like Spanish or French – and targets kids during their formative language-learning years, when their brains are more easily receptive to new concepts.
Code.org has collected a very comprehensive list of free online tutorials for all ages to help teach coding. There are also a handful of coding apps that you can download on your iPad, our favorites being Hakitzu, Hopscotch, and Daisy the Dinosaur for very young learners. Also, take time to explore the Code.org website for more information on how to get your school to start the Hour of Coding project.
Read more: here’s a great feature from the NY Times online about the incorporation of coding in public schools.
