Computer Science can be defined as “the theory, experimentation, and engineering that form the basis for the design and use of computers. It involves the study of algorithms that process, store, and communicate digital information.” (Wikipedia, 2018). It is the theoretical bracket term which informs on all computation. This mathematical and scientific theoretical approach is where new technology is conceived and worked out. Computer programming comes under this term as the practical process of designing and implementing this information; writing and testing code for computers. All of which involves computational thinking. This is working out how a computer will process information in order to solve a problem.
This subject is very important to us here at DiscoG Coding Academy as we believe that general awareness and interest in Computer Science is increasing. This in turn encourages children and adults to take up Coding as a more practical form of this, which can result in real world implications whether it be in academia, careers, daily technology, design, or even revolutionary inventions.
The possibilities are endless once you
learn the language that writes the future!
This month, DiscoG would like to highlight and promote ‘Computer Science Education week’ which is from the 3rd to the 9th of December 2018. This annual program is dedicated to inspiring students to take interest in this subject. “Originally conceived by the Computing in the Core coalition, Code.org® organizes CSEdWeek (Computer Science Education Week) as a grassroots campaign supported by 350 partners and 100,000 educators worldwide.” (csedweek.org, 2018). This week is held at this particular time in recognition of Admiral Grace Murray Hopper’s birthday (9th December 1906) who was a computing pioneer. Computer Science Education Week “was founded as a call to action to raise awareness about the need to elevate computer science education at all levels and to underscore the critical role of computing in all careers.” (csedweek.org, 2018). We at DiscoG strive to uphold this idea by providing coding courses for people of all ages in order for them to learn how to navigate programming effectively, which can then be applied to a plethora of career fields.
Gerard and Katrina Papet teach coding to our students by placing a greater emphasis on the study of computation (how to represent and process information), how to logically solve problems and by providing a new way of thought in approaching coding. “We see computers and programming (coding) as tools that will keep evolving over time, hence as well as coding our focus is on the science of problem solving. Our students, as young as 6 years old learn the Python text-based programming language; getting computers to do something requires lots of hands-on experience. The practical side of computer science can be seen everywhere- every aspect of our life is surrounded by code and the amount of code will keep increasing in the future.” (Gerard, 2018).
It can be said that “When students engage in computer science, they are not just learning to code to become future software engineers. They are also developing creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will prepare them to thrive in the future workforce, where 77 percent of jobs will require technology skills in the next decade.” (Microsoft Education Team, 2018). We believe it is never too early or too late to start learning something new. We are happy to be a part of this great movement towards broadening the horizons of people within computer science and encouraging those interested to take part by learning how to code.
References:
Wikipedia (2018), Computer Science, posted onto wikipedia.org, available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_science, paragraph 1.
csedweek (2018), Computer Science Education Week, posted onto csedweek.org, available at https://csedweek.org/, About page, History of Computer Science Education Week-paragraph 1.
Microsoft Education Team (2018), It’s Computer Science Education Week, and we’re here to help you make it great!, blog posted onto microsoft.com on 3rd December 2018, available at https://educationblog.microsoft.com/2018/12/computer-science-education-week-tips-courses/, paragraph 1.