Is It Important For Students To Learn A Programming Language?
As some of you may know, there will be professions in the near future that we cannot even imagine today. Our commitment to teaching students what we believe today will be necessary for their professional future is one of our main educational prerequisites. That’s why it’s so important to give them the tools and knowledge they need to face these changes with determination, confidence, and peace of mind.
We are surrounded by technology, which has become something that affects our human relationships and our behavior. It is this technological revolution that drives us and encourages us to make sure that children are also capable of programming from an early age. And it is much more interesting than just write my research paper on a boring topic.
Society is constantly changing, and our students need to know how to cope with this technological transformation. In this sense, we can say that programming has become one of the great tools of our time and will be even more important in the future. Web and app development, video games, and robotics are just some of the areas where there is a growing demand for jobs.
Students have begun to develop these new skills by learning by doing, working together, sharing ideas, and working together. This teaches them a much more realistic way to deal with possible conflicts and mistakes by solving new problems on their own.
There are wonderful educational initiatives and projects based on learning a programming language from students at different academic levels. Here we show you some of them.
First Lego League
This international challenge is designed to arouse young people’s interest in science and technology. It is one of the world’s largest robotics competitions for students, where they must design, build, test, and program robots using the technology known as Mindstorms®.
First Lego League is a way for students to apply science and math concepts, develop critical thinking, work in teams, and a place where they can improve their communication and presentation skills in front of an audience, but most of all, have fun and share knowledge with other participants.
Hour Of Code
This global movement, which reaches millions of students, allows anyone to organize a so-called “Hour Of Code” thanks to the tutorials available in more than 30 languages with which different exercises can be performed. Initiatives like this are very positive in the sense that aspiring coders see and understand that anyone can learn to code in a simple and fun way through games and other activities.
Micro:bit
This tool allows them to generate code to create interactive games that they can play with their classmates. Using the JavaScript block editor, they can program without any previous design or programming experience. This, in turn, allows students to gain more confidence in themselves by seeing that they are able to create code from scratch, which motivates them and encourages them to keep learning and exploring.
Raspberry Pi
Programming on Raspberry Pi motherboards has also become one of the most influential educational technologies due to its application not only in areas related to robotics and computing but also in those that include an important technical and scientific component. This technology allows students to explore and understand, through experimentation, the operation of computer hardware and software that allows small robots to move.
Do You Have to Be a Genius to Program?
Not at all! Learning to code is as easy as learning to read, add or subtract. Drew Houston, the creator of Dropbox, says that coding “really isn’t much different than playing an instrument or a sport.
Contrary to what many people think, programming is not about struggling with complex algorithms; it’s more about problem-solving. Learning to program teaches people to think, and encourages critical thinking, logic, and creativity. In fact, the most in-demand digital professions in our country, such as software developer or system administrator, require programming skills as an essential skill for these positions.
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