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Derek Young

Thinker and Experimenter,

TEDCRED 30+

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Should we start teaching children in Primary and/or Secondary School "Coding"?

Coding is computer lingo, which I've heard a million times, but I've never really found an interest in learning anymore, until I saw this video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU1xS07N-FA.

I believe that learning coding seems like a fascinating task now. I feel that coding would be pretty amazing skill to spread to the future innovators of tomorrow. I have not yet given myself the opportunity to learn coding, but after watching this I will check it out in the near future.

Do you think that the current curricula for education would fit a whole new division of computer science related courses, like coding (I think it's the big one?).

What are your views of more technologically based educational environments in the near future?

Does anyone else imagine a world of cyborgs....ha, but seriously, what are the limitations to having this skill?

If you have any other questions that might get answers or you have an answer for, then ask away and let's challenge the boundaries my fellow Tedsters! =)

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    Ghina Zand Alhadid

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    Mar 1 2013: Well, not everyone is interested in this. I remember taking Logo programming language in middle school and it was just very smothering for me and some of my class mates who just don't like programming.

    So maybe as an elective/ extracurricular course it would be a good idea to introduce school students into it. But demanding from all kids to study it and like it... I think it would be sort of unfair!
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      Derek Young 30+

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      Mar 1 2013: I think the goal isn't to make the children like it, though I hope teachers will try, but teaching children coding and programming in primary or secondary educational settings is more of a life skill. Due to the high increase of technologies being used in everyday life, there is a need for people to understand the components of their tools and having that knowledge will allow students to have more skills. I currently regret not having more skills in the field of technologies, like computers and coding, because it would allow me to feel more secure and not feel like technology was out of my understanding. In the past I have had my information stolen and used by another person, and I felt so violated. I felt that my life was no longer in my control and that there was nothing I could do could to protect myself from the web based world, until I thought, if I knew more about computer programming, then I could probably prevent a lot of incidents of identity theft and so on. Also, you can basically be ready to go out into the world with more sets of skills needed for landing a job or even making a business that is based online or spreading amazing new ideas online!

      Did you take a look at the link for a youtube video in my description?
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        Ghina Zand Alhadid

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        Mar 2 2013: Yes I watched the link. And I agree with you, it would give you more power and control of the technology that you use. But to reach this level of ability needs years of studying and not just a simple programming curriculum. I know two programming languages but I still need an expert's help in case something bad happened!!

        This field is developing fast. By the time I graduated from school the language I was taught was not used anymore! It needs someone passionate about it to follow up all the updates.

        It would be great getting jobs in this domain, but again it is personal preference. I cannot see myself working as a computer programmer, because it does not interest me at all. I CAN force myself to learn and to work but I would be very miserable in my life and would probably fail.

        In fact I believe there should be less things taught in school, because I remember studying so many things that were deep, yet shallow. Things that were for specialists but since its only intermediate and secondary school, they gave us some lines about it with no good, solid background about it. Even our teachers were not capable of explaining them to us. I believe it was a total waste of time. But oh well, that is another debate!
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          Derek Young 30+

          • +1
          Mar 2 2013: You say that "to reach this level of ability, one needs years of studying and not just a simple programming curriculum", but is it not beneficial to integrate some foundational education of programming to peak interests at a younger age? Those who are interested will be interested, and the others may or may not learn to love/appreciate the foundation that you correctly stated will take years, so why not start earlier, instead of later?

          Creating a curricula that makes students' learn how to think and not what to think is what the goal of education is, right? Unless, that is, that the goal is to produce "model citizens" for the benefit of a country, then I would say I would be wrong to give more skills for primary and secondary education in that type of environment.

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