Anyone Can Code

Anyone Can Code is my name for the summer computer classes I will be teaching this summer. These are independent classes, taught by myself (and perhaps we’ll have a guest teacher, if I find one). The idea is to get young kids into programming, an extremely fun, creative, and useful endeavor which most people do not have the opportunity to do.

There’s a Chinese proverb that says: “Knowing and not doing are equal to not knowing at all.” I know that kids should have the opportunity learn how fun it is to program, so I’m taking action by starting this class.

I read an article today about Steve Wozniak, one of the co-founders of Apple. At the time the article was written, he was teaching computer classes out of his garage. As one of the chief innovators of the computer revolution, an having made a fortune of some $200 million from Apple, he chose to teach grade-school kids how to use instant messengers, chat rooms, etc. I would like to take that a step further. Kids have a fresh way of looking at things. That’s what I want to inspire in my classes.

What will we learn? Here are some preliminary ideas:

• Computer history: a brief overview from the abacus to digital electronics
• Computer architecture: how computers work using control units and memory
• Computer usage: modern operating systems, software, and networking (including the Internet)
• Computer programming: overview and specifics, Java, C++, Python, PHP

There are many possibilities for fun projects. The important thing is that I will be guiding students through the development process, and it will all be hands-on. When you get stuck, you will get help. That’s the most important thing. Many people try to learn programming in our traditional school system. That approach doesn’t work well. Students get stuck and stay that way, getting so discouraged that they simply drop out. I’ve even seen it in college. It’s absurd.

So what can we make? I’m open to ideas, but here are some initial proposals.

• Google Gadgets
• Hangman
• Tower Defense Games
• Star Patterns
• Word Game Assistants
• Open-Ended Projects

I’m most excited about letting students be completely creative. You can submit your proposals and ideas to me, and we’ll discuss how you would architect your program. We will reduce the scope of it, if necessary, to something that you can actually accomplish within a few days.