Getting Started with Coding: Get Creative with Code! (Dummies Junior) - Softcover

Welcome to the world of tomorrow!

One of my favorite lines from Futurama is, "Welcome to the world of tomorrow!"  In fact, my 12-year-old asks me to announce it every time he descends the stairs.  That line is especially applicable to this book... coding is the world of tomorrow, and I am elated to welcome you to it!

Learning to code is something every kid can do, and it should be a fun, creative experience.  There are so, so, so, many programming languages with which you can begin -- Scratch, JavaScript, Python, App Inventor -- but I am personally a fan of MicroWorlds EX, the language I use in this book.  Diehard computer programmers may ask, "WHY?!?!? -- that's a teaching language."  That's true!  It's a Logo language developed originally by Seymour Papert of MIT.  Many K-12 schools and even some universities, including Stanford (in the Transformative Learning Technologies Lab), introduce students to coding using MicroWorlds, StarLogo and other Logo languages because they build the programming foundations AND spark the confidence and curiosity needed to keep new coders engaged.

I love MicroWorlds EX because it features a large workspace for designing your app's GUI, fun graphic design tools, a built-in compiler/interpreter, simple dialog boxes and palettes, and a pane for writing procedural code -- all in one place.  It's a step up in complexity over Scratch (because, like in "real" coding, kids actually have to type using correct vocabulary and syntax), but it preserves the easy ability to create graphics, execute code, and obtain debugging clues.  It's also simple to install MicroWorlds EX, and once installed, kids don't need access to the Internet to code.  

The book comes with a free, downloadable trial of MicroWorlds EX -- 35 days -- long enough to complete the projects inside.  If, by working through the projects, kids find they love programming (and I hope they do!), then purchase of the book and use of the trial will have motivated them to expand their horizons, trying new projects and also new languages.  For kids who find they love MicroWorlds EX like I do, they can obtain a deep discount on a forever version of the software ($29 as opposed to the standard $99). Regardless of which programming language your young coders work in, I hope they find the project ideas presented in this little book fun, instructive, and motivational for writing their own code and developing their own cool projects. 

My heart leaps when I see students bring the ideas out of their heads and into the world, creating digital artifacts through coding and physical ones through making.  It's an amazing time to be a kid, and I applaud the adults who are working hard to support this next generation of ingenious inventors, the very people who will design... the world of tomorrow!

A technology book for kids!

Are you ready to get creative with code? All you need is a computer connected to the Internet, the free trial of MicroWorlds EX software provided with this book, and the fun projects you'll find inside! Follow simple steps to build your first programs and games.

• Space Race―make a game to pilot an astronaut through space junk
• Ha Ha Headlines―build a hilarious headline generator
• Hungry BoBo―create and care for a digital pet