There’s a lot of excitement around children and computer programming – coding – here in the UK at the moment. This week is back-to-school week, and from this term, coding is on the national curriculum for children as young as five.
We’ve written before about apps that teach children first coding skills, but it’s not just about apps. Broadcaster the BBC has today announced some of its plans to get children interested in programming and computing.
It includes TV shows, of course. Preschool channel CBeebies is getting a new series, Nina And The Neurons: Go Digital, which sees scientist Nina “travel the UK in search of wonders of computer technology”, including coding, 3D printing and exploring the internet.
CBBC, for older children, also has a pair of new tech-themed shows. Appsolute Genius will see channel stars Dick and Dom “learn about the geniuses whose ideas, creations and discoveries have shaped the world of coding, computer programming and gaming”, with viewers encouraged to design their own games through an online contest.
There’s also a new CBBC show called Technobabble, which will explore “the latest apps, games and brilliant examples of digital creativity from around the world”, including more 3D printing and virtual reality technology.
It sounds very good, and will be complemented by a bunch of new stuff on the BBC’s Bitesize educational website, which also works on tablets and smartphones. There’ll be “over 40 curriculum-mapped computing guides using animation, graphics, video and interaction”, matching what children are learning in schools.
“We know that many children are genuinely interested in technology and we want to play our part in inspiring and empowering them to pursue their passions and to find out even more,” said Sinéad Rocks, acting head of BBC Learning.
All of this is just for starters: according to its announcement, the BBC will “soon” announce more details of its big “coding and digital creativity initiative” for 2015.
Parents of a certain age (including ours) may remember the BBC Micro computer from the early 1980s, when the Beeb was heavily involved in computer education for children. Fast forward three decades, and it seems the corporation has some more ambitious plans up its sleeves.