Why is code important?

This past weekend I got the opportunity to participate in a STEM extravaganza that our district hosts in coordination with the science fair every year.  I had an interactive display set up that allowed students to participate in a couple "Hour of Code" activities.  The "Hour of Code" initiative this year has worked to give kids exposure to basic computer programming through games.  If you are already sold, go and check out the website here.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me elaborate for you.

Computer programming is a skill that few people have, yet increasingly more and more of our world depends on it every day to maintain our way of life.  Do you see the problem?  Most schools do not teach it, but we are certainly reliant on the fact that someone is learning how to understand and write it.  Until recently, it was not something that was very accessible in terms of teaching materials - it was seen as a sort of underground computer techie language that only computer geeks and hackers knew how to understand.  As time has gone on, the value of having coding skills has swayed the conversation into the mainstream, and computer science is something that is being pushed into the forefront more than ever before.

A group of technology leaders have contributed to the non-profit movement of Hour of Code.  Its mission is to help newcomers understand how to get started in learning how to program a computer.  This is something that seems daunting to many adults, but fun and engaging to kids.  That is not to say that all kids will love the idea of learning how to code - but it is something that is worth exposing them to - even if only for an hour.  Kids who normally wouldn't have been exposed to these concepts are likely to continue the exploration process on their own if they are interested in it.

Full disclosure - I do not know how to code.  I am learning about it because it is something that has always interested me, but I never had the avenues that allowed me to properly explore it.  I'm looking forward this spring to working with some students who are also interested in computer programming and seeing what we come up with.  I look forward to sharing some of these projects on this blog.  In the meantime, take a minute and check out code.org and see the possibilities for computer programming in your classroom.  Even if it is just for one hour - it is worth the time to give students the opportunity to see what it is about, because they may not get the chance anywhere else.

"Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer...because it teaches you how to think."

    -Steve Jobs