Dec. 08--This week kids in more than 150 countries will try their hand at computer programming as part of the Hour of Code initiative, designed to introduce children as young as 4 to the fun of creating technology, not just using it.
Whether your kids' elementary, middle or high school is participating officially, they (and you) can do so at home with free introductory lessons from Code.org/learn which include online tutorials with Anna and Elsa from "Frozen" or with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Angry Birds. (No device on hand? There are even "unplugged" tutorials using old-fashioned paper and pencil.)
Coding beginners can also try tutorials with Khan Academy, the not-for-profit inadvertently started by a former hedge-fund analyst who was asked to help his niece with her math homework from afar. The video modules he created to assist her spread virally, leading to the creation of his academy, which has been featured on "60 Minutes" and in other news outlets. (Its lessons are always free and used in homes and classrooms around the world.)
None of Khan Academy's Hour of Code lessons require experience, but they're designed primarily for ages 8 and older. A teen who's already taking an app development class might scoff -- "We're writing real code," one told his mother.
But working partway through this first one mobilized a branch of this mom's brain that had been napping since college calculus -- though it in fact required only rudimentary math. Drawing a capital H hurt more than it had since preschool, but it never felt so satisfying. (One grumble: I wish I could disable the prompt that superimposes over my typing; it would be easier to see what I was doing. Maybe I can learn how to do that in another lesson -- which is not to imply that I would use my new capabilities to hack into Khan's system!)
Here are Khan's tutorials
Hour of Drawing with Code teaches some basics of JavaScript, one of the world's most popular programming languages. A keyboard-based lesson is designed for those ages 10 and older with good typing skills; it finishes with a draw-a-wild-animal project. A drag-and-drop variation for tablets is designed for kids as young as 8 and others with less-developed typing skills. Users also can print graph paper handouts.
Hour of Webpages teaches the basics of HTML and CSS to create Web pages. It's designed for ages 10 and older and finishes with a holiday greeting card project.
Hour of Databases teaches the fundamentals of databases, using SQL to create tables, insert data into them and do basic querying. This lesson requires a keyboard and is designed for ages 12 and older. It concludes with a challenge to create a database for an imaginary store.
These modules are designed to be completed in about an hour but Khan encourages users to allow about two hours so they can go at whatever pace is comfortable. There are links for kids, teachers and parents here.
Users will need a compatible browser on their computer. Google Chrome is preferred, but Safari 5, Internet Explorer 9+ and Mozilla Firefox also work. IE8 will not work.
Hour of Code, part of national Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 8-14), is organized by Code.org, a public 501c3 nonprofit. Code.org is dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Partners include Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the College Board.
Twitter @wendy_donahue
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