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Are you a teacher of young learners? Are you involved in young peoples’ extra-curricular activities? Then this course could be for you. Whatever subjects you normally teach, you and your learners are surrounded by modern digital technology. It is based around the popular Scratch system that is capturing the imagination of children around the globe. And if you’ve never written a line of code in your life, don’t worry. This course will get you started step-by-step.
Even after the formal close of this course on November 9, you can still access all the content in self-paced mode. So it’s never too late!
This course was retired in October, 2023.
This course was retired in October, 2023.
This course in French/Ce cours en français
Are you a teacher of young learners? Are you involved in young people’s extra-curricular activities? Then this course could be for you. Whatever subjects you normally teach, you and your learners are surrounded by modern digital technology. Much of the technological change has been driven by young people, and their creativity has never been more influential. Facebook, Google, and Youtube were started by people in their teens and twenties. Many jobs of the future will be in information technology, underpinning so many other sectors such as agriculture, tourism, telecommunications, and financial services. This course will help you to encourage today’s young digital consumers to become tomorrow’s digital creators. It is based around Scratch, a popular system adopted by millions of young learners worldwide as it fosters youthful curiosity, promotes creativity, and provides a basis for lifelong programming learning. You’ll be truly amazed at how fast your learners get up to speed with coding skills! And if you’ve never written a line of code in your life, don’t worry. This course will get you started one step at a time!
This course was originally offered as part of the Africa Code Week initiative. Now, we’re delighted to offer this also as part of the EU Code Week and the first Refugee Code Week – multiple initiatives aiming to empower today’s youth with skills they’ll need to thrive in the 21st century workforce. This course is offered in addition to hundreds of live events across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. So wherever you are, and whether you can attend a live event or not, you can still take your first steps towards mastering a simple and fun programming language!
Brendan Smith is an Education and Outreach Officer at National University of Ireland, Galway and at the Galway Education Centre. His mission is to empower people with the potential of technology and science.
He has won many awards for his contributions to education and social engagement in Ireland. He has a passion for travel, culture, justice, and the environment.
Previous versions of this course are available here:
Africa Code Week: Teaching Programming to Young Learners, June 2 through June 30, 2015
Africa Code Week: Teaching Programming to Young Learners, October 1 through November 2, 2015
This course was rated with 4.51 stars in average from 112 votes.
Find out more in the certificate guidelines.