May 29, 2016

Helping your child getting into coding

Once upon a time, I was a non-tech parent living just within the boundaries of the ‘Tech Empire’ of Silicon Valley. Before I was introduced to the world of computer science and coding, I was raising my child with the recipe that has been used for generations. This well-known formula is to supply our children with a fabulous primary and secondary education, adding a blitz of extracurricular activities both inside and outside of school.

As parents, our hope is that between school and their sports, music, arts, and languages, our children will discover their passions, and those passions will lead them to college, a great career, and an incredible life. But I now understand that this template does not specifically include technology.

The excitement around the industry known just as tech continues to grow. The narratives around this industry’s personalities are comparable only to top athletes and entertainers. And tech touches every other industry, whether it’s via the computers programmed to run a manufacturing line or those that helped NASA take pictures of Pluto. Tech companies not only include the world’s biggest retailer, but tech is also on the cusp of taking over the American auto industry. There are currently over 600,000 unfilled computing jobs nationwide, and that figure will grow to 1 million positions by 2022 (Code.org).

I now believe that introducing computer science and coding to our elementary school children is crucial. Primarily because as parents, the influence we have over our children’s choice of activities will slowly diminish. Our authority over their decisions starts with complete command, moves to strong requests, and inevitably ends at long talks, plus prayer, hopes, and wishes between their 9th and 12th-grade years making the introduction of computer science to our elementary school child more and more important.

Today I am a non-tech parent that dabbled in the tech world. What I learned working to support a program whose focus is teaching computer science in elementary schools is that while the tech industry is stretching to fill open jobs, the primary and secondary schools in the US are just now in the beginning phase of offering computer science.

However, more often than not computer science is limited to high school electives, if it’s offered at all. And, unlike the NBA, there’s no pipeline to lead our kids from club teams to high school varsity to university and finally a great tech job.

So for inspiration, below lists 4 programs that have classes located nationwide. The higher ranked programs have the lowest costs and the most locations.

#1. CoderDojo
A Computer Science movement, CoderDojo is a nonprofit organization with a network of volunteers that run free coding classes and clubs for kids aged 7-17.

Search their website for Dojos in your area, and note that kids are learning Scratch,
Python, Minecraft, Ruby and more.


Pros: Not one in your area? No problem, you can start your own Dojo, no prior experience necessary! If you can find the space and computers (libraries are great), then CoderDojo will help you with tools to get you started for free.
Cons: None.

#2. Boys and Girls Clubs of America
This 150-year-old club operates more than 4,000 clubs in independent facilities, on
school sites, at US military installations, in public housing and on Native lands. In 2014, BGCA “impacted nearly 4 million children and teens.” BGCAs computer science education includes DIY STEM curriculum with themes including Robotics, Aeronautics and Engineering Design. BGCA also offers My Future, which is similar to CoderDojo and has lessons that are easily facilitated by BGCA staff.
Pros: 4000+ locations that include military installations, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Cons: Membership fees depend on locations.

#3. Black Girls Code
Black Girls Code’s mission is to increase the ranks of both women and people of color in the tech industry. Their activities range from Expos, Hackathons, career panels, to workshops, and they encourage girls between 7-17 to learn and create web pages, mobile apps, and programming languages including Scratch and Java.

Pros: Your daughters and their friends will love attending together, and many events are free and/or offer scholarships.
Cons: Locations are limited, and it’s not for boys, however, their “brother” club ‘Black Boys Code’ is in the works.

#4. Digital Media Academy
Digital Media Academy (DMA) provides summer camps on University campuses across 11 US states plus Canada. Starting at age 6, DMA offers programming with Minecraft and Scratch, and 8-year-olds can continue with 3D printing, Java Programming and game design for iPhones and iPads. DMA offers week-long summer camps and they supplement those with online courses during the school year.

Pros: A wide range of classes and their summer camps are located at universities including Stanford, Harvard, Northwestern, and Duke.
Cons: Expensive! You can expect to pay over $800 for one week of full-day summer camp. Ultimately, our child will decide his or her career goals, but it might be difficult for them to select computer science or coding as their future path without some familiarity or experience. So find a class and let your kids experience learning with a group of their
peers. Then, if they do get the coding bug, there are plenty of online resources at your disposal. Code.org is an invaluable source, with online courses and a virtual “Community Hub” that lists many regional programs located in cities across the US. It’s also a great place to start if you decide that you want to learn and teach your kids: in the privacy of your home.

Happy Coding !!

Cynthia Baker-Smith

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