Tomorrow, EU Code Week 2017 kicks off!

From October 7-22, organisations across Europe will be organising activities which bring coding and digital literacy to children and adults. Many are free so please get involved!

See the EU Code Week 2017 Events Calendar for activities taking place across Europe.

Another great source of coding-related activities is Codestarter, a joint venture between Google Netherlands and NEMO Science Center, which provides a list covering the entire Netherlands.

Every week is Code Week for NewTechKids. This year, we aren’t organising any EU Code Week-specific activities. Instead, as usual we’ll be teaching our computer science bootcamps at local schools and as after-school activities.

NewTechKids Tip: Know the difference between coding and programming

Although many people use coding and programming interchangeably, there are significant distinctions. Programming covers a broad range of activities, including analysis, problem-solving, algorithm generation, the application of computer science concepts, and testing. Coding is the implementation of programming: writing the actual code to execute tasks.

Coding can be a great activity if it is taught in the context of logic, pattern recognition and problem-solving. Unfortunately, this is often not the case as most teachers and instructors focus on specific programming languages and teach coding as a technical skill. Programming languages evolve and many are becoming obsolete. Some believe that coding will be the next blue collar job.