This course was retired in October 2023.

Course Summary

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!

Course Characteristics

• Starting from: September 15, 2016, 09:00 UTC, open until November 9, 2016 09:00 UTC (What does this mean?)
• After the course closes, content is available in self-study mode.
• Total learning effort: 4-6 hours
• Optional self-tests and final assignment
• Discussion forum for you to share your experiences with other learners and get the help of experts
• Course language: English
• How is an openSAP course structured?

Course Content

• Unit 1: Introducing Scratch and the Art of Coding
• Unit 2: Creating an Interactive Digital Environment
• Unit 3: Coding Geometric Shapes and Freehand
• Unit 4: Planning and Designing Games

Target Audience

• Teachers of 8-11 year olds
• Parents of 8-11 year olds
• Anyone interested in bringing new skills to young people

Course Requirements

• There are no formal requirement for this course.
• You do not need any previous programming experience!
• You only need access to the internet. You can download the course content and the system.
• All content and system access is completely free-of-charge.

About the Instructor

Brendan Smith

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

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