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Students demystify computer coding

May 01, 2016

Code breakers

Code breakers:  Hour of Code HK provides free weekend coding workshops at the InnoCentre for every age and experience level.

Mythbusters

Mythbusters:  Hour of Code HK organiser Ray Cheung (right) says coding is not as difficult as people think and the workshops help ease their fears about it being too complicated for them.

Student instructors

Student instructors:  Form One student Aaron Cheung became a coding instructor after learning the skill during Hour of Code HK workshops.

Family bonding

Family bonding:  Brian Liang (right) and his father Liang Chi-kai learn how to code together and say the classes have helped close the generation gap.

The late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs is quoted as saying that everybody should learn to programme a computer because it teaches you how to think. 

 

City University Electronic Engineering Associate Professor Ray Cheung who also heads its Apps Lab is doing that by organising the Hour of Code HK campaign to promote the value of a coding education. The event provides free weekend coding courses at the InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong to encourage people to try computer science for an hour.

 

News.gov.hk joined an Hour of Code HK workshop which was packed with budding computer programmers of all ages from secondary and primary students to families and seniors. They were being taught coding: the step-by-step instructions that are written to tell a computer programme what to do. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity.

 

The day's challenge was to construct a windmill out of building blocks and rotate its sails using the programming language Scratch.

 

Primary Six student Michael Cheung says taking part in Hour of Code and other coding workshops over the past year gave him a new direction in life.

 

"When I was small, I didn't know what I would be good at, so I just spent my time at different courses, then I joined Hour of Code and found it interesting. You can create your own game and when you finish an application, you feel proud of yourself."

 

Connecting families

The beauty of coding is that you are never too old to learn it. Hour of Code provides tutorials for every age and experience level, from kindergarten and up and encourages families to join its workshops.

 

Brian Liang and his father agree that taking coding classes together has helped close the generation gap.

 

"I think parents should learn how to code with their children because now there's a common bond between us and we communicate more," Brian's father Liang Chi-kai explained.

 

While Brian welcomed the chance to supplement his coding skills.

 

"At school we are taught the computer programming language Scratch. By taking part in Hour of Code I learnt even more about Scratch which boosted my knowledge for school."

 

Students teaching students

Hour of Code HK started in December 2014 and provides workshops on Scratch, App Inventor, JavaScript and Python. Once its students complete the workshops they are invited to become instructors.

 

Form One student Aaron Cheung is a coding student turned instructor who says he is a better teacher than student.

 

"When I sit in the classroom listening to the teacher I am a bit confused and the teacher's not sure what I am doing either, so I just follow the teacher's instructions, but when I teach, I let my students know what they are doing and give them clear instructions to follow."

 

Ray Cheung, who organises the Hour of Code HK workshops, believes coding is not as difficult as people think, adding that the workshops will help ease people's fears about it being too complicated for them.

 

"We believe this campaign is very important as the bottom layer of the pyramid. We are able to tell the public that computer coding is something that everybody can actually start learning within one hour and our ultimate goal is to bring in the latest technology to the public and at the same time, train up our university students and other members of the public who are willing to teach others."

 

He added that coding has become part of the school curriculum in the US and some European Union countries and he hopes to expand Hour of Code HK workshops to more districts.



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