In today´s era of the digital economy, where we listen to issues such as the impact of consumers connected 24/7 and their control over the demand for products and services; the importance of delivering relevant content in real time, or what the future of jobs will be, I think it is crucial to start talking about how we can strengthen our knowledge of a language that practically dominates the world: programming.
One of the current challenges affecting both brands and the world of digital agencies is the lack of professionals with extensive programming skills. Although this represents a threat, I think it also represents an excellent opportunity to improve our educational system. There are already many publications that have cited the need to include programming courses for children as part of the standard school curriculum. This will benefit younger generations, who, from an early age, would be familiar with the operation of technology, strengthening the machine/person relationship. Just like today we teach English and Spanish in schools, I believe that teaching programming has to be the third language that will make our children better able to face the challenges of the future.
Until recently, I thought that the programming language was exclusively a system for engineers. However, it's easier than what I thought. For example, consider Minecraft, an online game that asks you to constantly program simple tasks to achieve a goal. In fact, there are several online applications where, with a very didactic aesthetic, children and adults are taught to immerse themselves in the world of programming.
It is said that the best age to induce children in this language begins at age 12. It’s at this age that we can teach the four basic concepts of programming: conditions, cycles, functions and objects.
Check these links if you want to practice and have fun with your children:
https://studio.code.org/courses
https://scratch.mit.edu/ (8-16 years old)
https://www.lego.com/es-es/mindstorms
