Students can learn computer programming

4 Tools for Teaching Kids to Code

4 Tools for Teaching Kids to Code
By Audrey Watters / August 18, 2010 6:30 PM / 27 Comments
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scratch1aug10.jpgIn a recent PC Pro article, Professor Steven Furber, developer of the ARM microprocessor, laments the sharp decline in interest in computer science classes in the UK. And although the U.S. hasn't seen that same drop in enrollment, a recent survey of some 14,000 U.S. high school teachers by the Computer Science Teachers Association found that only 65% of respondents taught in a school that offered some sort of introductory computer science course.

As our world becomes more tech-oriented, educators are faced with not just teaching children how to use computers, but how to build and program them as well.

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"We need to get students interested in computer science and that has to be done at an early age before they decide (incorrectly) that they can't do computer science or that it is dull and boring," says Alfred Thompson, Microsoft's K-12 Computer Science Academic Relations Manager. "Teaching computer science in an interesting fashion while students are young and impressionable and searching for interesting things they can do with their lives can potentially lead to more diversity in the field. And we need more diversity in the field."

Fortunately, there are a number of great tools to teach programming to K-12 students, along with a lot of resources for computer science teachers: