Parents worldwide understand kids need digital skills today if they want to survive and thrive in the tech future. However, many parents don’t have coding skills themselves, leaving them in a position where it’s difficult to assess the quality of an online computer programming course.
Before enrolling your child in coding classes during school season, ensure they’re teaching computer skills correctly. Here’s what to look for in an online coding program.
Video Games for Fun and Motivation
A motivated student is a better student, and nothing drives kids to learn quite like video games. Even children as young as seven can design and program their own video games using real coding languages professionals regularly use in the field, like Python.
By making the lessons revolve around creating video games, your child will be as excited to learn as they are to play. Plus, the leading programs embed gamification concepts into the lessons, so they’ll be equally addicted to learning.
Modern video games are a multi-billion-dollar business and a high art form, with vastly improved scripts and storytelling, gameplay, and more. Preparing for the workforce in an exciting and lucrative industry aside, kids will have a lot of fun.
Vital Coding Languages
There’s a difference between general computer skills and knowing how to write code in industry-standard programming languages. Some courses that teach kids begin with Scratch, which is only a drag-and-drop program designed to show what coding is like.
It’s better to start learning real coding languages right away, such as:
- Python
- Java
- JavaScript
- C#
- C++
Knowing these languages is basically a job requirement. If they decide to go it alone rather than work for a company, children will have the tools to design and code powerful apps, websites, and video games.
Small Classes and Young Teachers
The last thing today’s young programming students need is a large, bustling classroom taught by teachers without recent coding experience or a video game-filled youth.
Students learn best in orderly environments where it’s easy to get their teacher’s full attention.
How can someone who didn’t play video games growing up teach kids how to code them? When teachers and students share a genuine love of gaming, the passion is palpable and gets transferred down the line.
Plus, if coding students in high school have practical questions about where STEM skills can take them in the workforce, they’ll have a perfect resource at their fingertips.
Teachers taking computer science or computer engineering in post-secondary are ideal mentors for kids who may go down a similar road.
Look for an online coding program that caps class sizes at four students per teacher and runs the sessions even if there’s only one student.
Parents and students deserve some predictability after so much disruption in education.
People everywhere anticipating the digital future are rushing to impart the right type of knowledge to their kids.
Not all coding courses are equally good, so make sure the one you sign your child up for meets the criteria described above.