Code literacy is not just the ability to read and write code. It is a problem-solving ability.

I love to code. I love to teach people how to code, because people inevitably learn a new way to solve problems, to think about how parts of our new world work.

I found this note while cleaning up in my office. I think it was the beginning of a Strange Loop 2011 talk, I called it Easy as Pie: Teaching Code Literacy (video). It’s not actually easy to teach coding, but it is something that anyone who is passionate about it can share 1-1 with a little practice. The key is to keep trying till you find that spark, and if you never do, that’s cool too, since it’s an important 21st century skill.

• It’s not about learning a trade.
• We should teach coding for the same reasons we teach about the laws of gravity or photosynthesis.
• It’s a fundamental part of our world.
• We need to prepare our kids (and adults) to use technology to solve the very real and urgent problems that we face today.
• We need to teach our kids how to think in every possible way.  We need to stretch their brains to prepare them to lead their lives with all of options available to them.