Communications of the ACM
Computer Coding More in Demand Than Languages, Survey Shows
Credit: Anchorite Yao
Software programming should take priority over modern languages in British schools, according to a Code.org survey of more than 2,000 adults across the United Kingdom. Fifty-two percent of participants selected coding as their top choice, compared with 38 percent for French lessons, 32 percent for Spanish, 25 percent for German, and 24 percent for Mandarin Chinese.
Code.org offers the Hour of Code, a series of free tutorials designed to show students the basics of programming in an hour. The tutorials feature well-known characters from apps and games. "While we want to demystify the world of coding and make it fun for kids and their parents, the research shows that more and more people are realizing that these skills will be inherent as the digital world becomes the everyday," says Avid Larizadeh, head of Hour of Code UK.
Games Workshop founder Ian Livingstone says programming is no longer a niche skill as computing has become essential knowledge. "Code powers innovation and creativity," Livingstone says. "Learning to code will enable children to become problem-solvers and digital-makers for jobs that don't yet exist."
From The Guardian
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