We're hearing more about "coding" but how many parents actually know what it means? Even a conversation today with friends over lunch we had discussed coding. While I had assumed that we all have some basic understanding, it was really not the case. Coding is a language. It's universal. It's what is used to create games, software, apps, and websites. It's not only for computer whizzes but for everyday...hello Facebook users? So, why should we, as parents, care? It's the language that powers the computers and if I look around me right now, I can tell you that my phone, microwave, coffee machine, fridge, lights, car and television are all running because of computers. Coding is the step-by-step commands that makes all these machines follow what we need them to do.
There's definitely more advantageous to even just understanding the basic technology as it continues to shape our world . Our children are beginning to learn the foundations of coding in fun and easy ways that starts at a younger age. My 5 year old nephew is learning early coding in the classroom and is truly excited about it.
We should all definitely be not looking to the schools to teach our kids coding but encouraging it. It's the language of now and the future globally. Many careers will be affected by coding and not just those that are directly associated with developing computer apps and software but think about jobs in travel, medicine, teaching and beyond. The industry is moving forward with creative thinkers as it is integrated in so many practical ways in our everyday lives. Technology is progressing and yes, we now understand that it's okay to be "breaking things" in order to learn and move forward.
Mitzi Hunter, Minister of Education for Ontario recently spoke about how important it is for our kids to learn how to code for career pathways as well as in general as a thinking skill. A news release outlined the province's new initiatives for coding and computational skills including continued commitment to investing $150 million over three years, through Technology and Learning Fund to promote teaching and learning. They will be helping elementary teachers integrate coding and computational skills for teachers as well with lesson plans that can be used in all grades and subjects for our kids.
How do we talk to our kids about coding at home? One way for us to encourage our kids and, at the same time, learn a bit ourselves is getting hands-on experience. The very user-friendly SWIFT PLAYGROUND App (free iOS download available for iPad Air 2 and more recent) is an ideal starting point. You could approach it like a family activity. I've started this already with my little guy. Exploring what we can do is a great way for both us to learn!
How it works? To start, there is a group of basic fundamentals of coding presented in fun interactive 3D animated lessons that kids (and families) can follow that are all relatable and starts with simple steps through puzzles, challenges and fun tasks. It's kind of like baking 101...you've got the ingredients and instructions to follow but starting with an easy recipe. Later on you can build once you've developed a few skills to expand coding in the way you want to. It's also very user friendly as it makes great use of touch screen capability.
But what's really exciting for me is to see the way my kid thinks. There is strategy involved and logic so this is a great way to build that problem-solving skill overall. When things don't work out as hoped, he seems to want to find a solution rather than giving up. Pretty important life tool to have don't you think?
What is SWIFT? It's actually started from a programming language created by Apple that was released a few years ago. It was really designed as the first language that you could learn to code in. The Developer community has positively supported this because it's highly accessible, intuitive, and grows with the user. Many of the apps in the App Store are created using SWIFT.
SWIFT PLAYGROUND also has a series of very useful resources for parents as well as educators so really anyone can learn, and teach, how to code and have fun doing it.