Digital disruption is transforming both the manufacturing and service industries and in order to futureproof Australia’s economy and workforce, changes need to begin now.
The skills students develop when learning to code will enable them to participate in this future workforce, where flexibility, agility and entrepreneurial thinking will be at the forefront of many careers.
It is indeed possible that the jobs that today’s primary school students will have in the future, do not even exist yet.
What parents need to know about coding
Coding, or computer programming, is the way people command and communicate with computers and machines. It can be described as the process that people take to design, write, test and debug computer programs.
Coding in education is about understanding the process of how a computer works.
Teaching kids to code does not mean that we expect all of them to grow up and become professional computer programmers.
For centuries we’ve taught kids how to write and appreciate music, but we haven’t expected all of them to become professional composers, musicians or recording artists. We teach students physical education and how to play sport, but we don’t expect all kids to become elite or competitive athletes. We teach science and history, but we don’t expect all kids to become scientists or historians.
What we do expect however is that all kids, in all schools, are given the opportunity to learn about the world they live in, how it works and how they can be successful in it.
In the continuously changing digital landscape we now live in, learning about digital systems and being able to create through code is an essential component of a balanced education for every child.
I don’t think it’s okay anymore for kids to just know how to use technology. They need to know how to understand it and how to use it as a building material.
How to encourage your kids to code
Parents can encourage coding the same way they encourage kids to try new things.
Much of the early concepts in the Digital Technologies Curriculum can be taught “unplugged”, without actually using a digital device. This is because it is about the thinking.
It’s getting kids to follow directions and solve problems and think in a computational way.
Parents don’t need to know how to code to promote this type of thinking with their kids.
Not all screen time is the same
Understand that the idea of “screen time” can change completely when kids are creating and making with technology.
I often talk with many parents about their “screen time” concerns. These are valid; however, when kids are coding they are thinking critically, problem solving, innovating and creating. It is all about balance.
There is a huge difference between “screen time” as a consumer and screen time as a creator.
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