Currently, and increasingly, we live in a world where information is on the Internet (virtual classrooms for schools, travel agencies, e-banking, etc.). Programming and the use of ITC are becoming the new literacy system. Many organizations promote teaching programming to children from an early age so that they can adapt to this increasingly digital world. One of the most active is Code.org which incorporates personalities like Bill Gates, Marc Zuckerberg, Bill Clinton, Chris Bosh, Aston Kutcher, etc. Code.org is a movement that aims to provide education in programming for children, young people and their environment: parents, schools, teachers, high schools, etc.
Programming or Computational Thinking is not only useful to IT professionals, it’s a skill that applies to all degrees and curriculums. It’s the ability to learn to learn, it teaches you how to solve problems, to focus challenges, in short, to prepare yourself for the future. Programming is a skill directly related to critical thinking, logic and innovation.
In addition, programming is a skill with a future. Many economy experts agree that programming is one of the most demanded abilities in job offers and that this trend will increase. Currently, in the United States, programming is in the ranking of the “10 skills that can give you a job” (Forbes List 2013) and programmers are the most demanded profile in the 2013 “Top Jobs”. In addition, it is estimated that there are 100.000 vacancies in this sector that can not be covered by the lack of professionals. It is expected that this trend will become more pronounced in next years and, at 2020 jobs in this sector will increase a 20% and, according Code.org, there will be missing a million programmers.
With Codelearn, learning how to program is not only coding or memorizing lists of instructions. It is about giving children an opportunity to learn hot to use Computational Thinking. It is to acquire skills that are useful not only in the economic and professional sector, but they provide freedom, diversity and democracy to create and consume knowledge Finally, we would like to leave you with a quote from Steve Jobs: “Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer… because it teaches you how to think”.