The BBC has published computer programming and coding study guides on the BBC Bitesize website and introduced special TV programmes for kids.
In a push to get the new generations more familiar with computer programming, the government has introduced a new computing curriculum for children starting as young as five.
To aid the freshly introduced curriculum, BBC Children and BBC Learning has unveiled a new range of computing and coding content for its BBC Bitesize website.
There’s special study guides, quizzes and additional support materials on the Bitesize site, but the BBC has also planned to air programming-themed TV shows for children in the autumn.
"We know that many children are genuinely interested in technology and we want to play our part in inspiring and empowering them to pursue their passions and to find out even more", said Sinéad Rocks, Acting Head of BBC Learning. "Our new education resources are designed to give a hands on approach through a range of great animation, video and interactive games that we hope will really engage and entertain whilst also enabling our audiences to develop key digital skills."
The TV shows planned for later in the year include Technobabble, which is a show based around apps and gadgets created by the team behind Newsround. There’s also Nina and the Neurons: Go Digital, which will comprise of five episodes of the CBeebies show exploring technology topics like coding, driverless cars and 3D printing.
“It’s about giving the next generation a chance to shape their world, not just be consumers in it,” said Jessica Cecil, controller of the BBC’s new coding and digital creative initiative. “Cleary this is all about partnerships, this is not about us saying, ‘This is the way you do it because the BBC says so’. Partnership is absolutely the watchword. We know there is a fantastic landscape out there and we want to play our part in it.”
The BBC says this is its “early start” to the full coding and digital creativity initiative for 2015, which will introduce the new generations to digital technology, programming and coding.
Cecil hopes that formal agreements between 10 – 20 organisations will be involved in the BBC’s 2015 by Christmas, including the likes of BT, Google, Microsoft and Samsung.
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