Computer programming and coding

Computer programming or coding is becoming an essential skill for many future careers. It's also lots of fun.

Learning coding is as much about learning useful skills. These are referred to as Computational Learning, but if think of this in terms of logical thinking and simple problem solving skills then you can see how they can be applied to other things outside of computer science.

Teaching programming doesn't even need to be done using a computer. A popular school literacy task is to describe the process of making a sandwich by listing each step involved. This same activity could be considered a process in developing an algorithm.

There are no upper and lower age limits for programming. I've started with children as young as five. For young learners it may be more appropriate using programming toys or games.

These guides will help you to get started in programming.

Programming

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These guides are about programming in general, including learning algorithms, agile programming and testing.

Python

Python is a popular programming language used throughout education and industry.

Scratch

Scratch is a visual programming language designed specifically for children. Programs are made by dragging and dropping blocks into place.

This makes it easy to create an initial program without needing to worry about learning a complex syntax.

Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a popular single board computer used in education and industry.

It is inexpensive (particularly the Pi Zero models), although is also available in more powerful variants for additional cost.

MicroBit

The micro:bit was first made available by the BBC to school pupils. It's often used in schools as a simple microcontroller that can be used using either a block based or written programming language.

Microcontrollers

Microcontrollers are popular for use in controlling real-world devices. Popular boards including the Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico and ESP 32 based microcontrollers.