Coding

What is Coding?

Coding is another word for programming. Put simply, programming is the act of entering commands into a computer to control it or another physical . The process of coding is part skill, but more importantly it is about developing ones own ways of thinking about something.

Who learns coding?

Anybody can learn coding. Young children to adults learn coding for a wide variety of reasons today. Some want to make beautiful art in Turtle Art, some want to create games in Scratch, others want to create an app that helps people, the list of reasons can go on and on.

Why Coding?

Coding as a skill can be useful, but it is much more powerful when you develop your ways of thinking about the world, problems you encounter, or creating something interesting. By learning a few basic concepts you can begin down a path of developing as a creative and computational thinker.

Where do I begin?

Start anywhere. Don't worry about learning it all before you get started. Instead, start with a project idea. Think about what you want to make. To learn the basics, begin by creating a piece of digital art, an animation, or a game for your friends to play. The idea of starting with a project seems backwards, but having a project to learn through is very helpful.

Two great starting coding environments are Turtle Art and Scratch. Focus on these three concepts:

• • Inputs (values) & variables

  • Looping behaviors

  • Procedures

If you understand these three concepts well, you will be on a fine start to code in other environments and languages.

Ready for something more? Try out Python.