As a software business person, maybe I’m biased, but I’m excited about the recent efforts to interest students in computer coding.  Some may turn out to be interested enough to pursue STEM careers but anyone who tries coding will benefit from a deeper understanding of technical matters and the logical construction of things.  Students learn how to dissect and frog – why not learn how to dissect an ap? As the folks at code.org, say, learning to code can “help students develop creativity, confidence, and problem-solving – which help in all information age careers.”

Today’s UL had a great report on New Hampshire students being exposed to coding:

As part of nationwide Computer Science Education Week, students at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown and Ross A. Lurgio Middle School in Bedford got a crash course in computer programming — by playing games, creating artwork and getting to see the fun side of coding.

“I tell kids … I don’t really think of what I do as work,” said Kate Crawford, a researcher for IBM. “You’re going into your desk every day and solving thousands of puzzles.”

Computer programing — commonly referred to as coding — is a process that leads from an original formulation of a computing problem to executable computer programs. One of the core goals of Computer Science Education Week is to promote coding, and schools nationwide have been encouraged to host their own Hour of Code events.

Code.org, the official activity site for Hour of Code, includes games that teach basic coding, featuring popular characters from the game app Angry Birds and the Disney film “Frozen.” Videos on the site feature actors Angela Bassett and Ashton Kutcher, singer Shakira, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and President Barack Obama urging young people to give computer programming a try.

via ’Hour of Code’ events get students interested in computer programming | New Hampshire Education.