Why Coding?

Someone asked us why a library would promote and encourage children to learn about coding, which is the binary method of programming computers to create games, animation and websites. Aren’t libraries supposed to be focused on promoting books and reading? Although it may seem contrary to the operation of a library to teach children to learn computer programming instead of promoting books there’s a number of very good reasons to encourage our kids to learn to code. What is coding? Coding is the term used for the most basic of computer programming, such as ‘binary’ code.  Binary is either on or off, yes or no, black or white, this or that. We all are coders and we can see it in our everyday lives when we make decisions about what we are going to do. For example: in the morning, we choose to get up or stay in bed; when driving a car, you choose to turn left or right; when cooking dinner, you may choose chicken or tofu.  Each of these decisions will change the following order of events or the final result. As you follow each of these paths, subsequent decisions change the outcome even further. This is like coding. Young children who learn to code early can apply this digital literacy to everything that they learn in the future from schoolwork to hobbies to choosing a career. Logic and thoughtful planning can be beneficial in more ways than we can imagine and in this fast-moving world we could use some common sense and thoughtfulness, don’t you think? Libraries are more than books. We are full of ideas and other learning opportunities; we are digital literacy and access to the Internet; we are research hubs and keepers of archives, as well as being meeting places for people to learn about everything from family nutrition to public speaking. Coder Dojo is coming to Neepawa and Glenboro branches and is already in full-swing in Brandon Library. If you are in any of these locations and want to get your young Ninja started, give us a call and ask about registration.