Official Google Australia Blog: Should My Kid Learn to Code?

Google Research BlogHour of CodeMade with Codegrowth in developer bootcampscode.orgCS FirstKhan AcademyCodecademyBlockly GamesTechnovationGirls who CodeBlack Girls Code#YesWeCodemany more computing professionalsexperiencing capacity issuescomputational thinking

Abstraction, which is the replacement of a complex real-world situation with a simple model within which we can solve problems. CS is the science of abstraction: creating the right model for a problem, representing it in a computer, and then devising appropriate automated techniques to solve the problem within the model. A spreadsheet is an abstraction of an accountant’s worksheet; a word processor is an abstraction of a typewriter; a game like Civilization is an abstraction of history.

An algorithm is a procedure for solving a problem in a finite number of steps that can involve repetition of operations, or branching to one set of operations or another based on a condition. Being able to represent a problem-solving process as an algorithm is becoming increasingly important in any field that uses computing as a primary tool (business, economics, statistics, medicine, engineering, etc.). Success in these fields requires algorithm design skills.

As computers become essential in a particular field, more domain-specific data is collected, analysed and used to make decisions. Students need to understand how to find the data; how to collect it appropriately and with respect to privacy considerations; how much data is needed for a particular problem; how to remove noise from data; what techniques are most appropriate for analysis; how to use an analysis to make a decision; etc. Such data skills are already required in many fields.

Blockly

code.orgCS FirstKhan AcademyPosted by Maggie Johnson, Director of Education and University Relations, Google

Google

Labels

20%
3D
AdSense
AdWords
AdWords Express
Agencies
agencies adwords TV
Analytics
android
announcements
antarctica
App Marketplace
apps
art
Australia
Australian IT
big data
Big Query
blogging
blogs
books
broadband
business
calendar
campaign management
careers
CeBIT
chrome
Chromebox
cloud computing
competition
computer science
conversion tracking
creativity
currents
cyber safety
cycling
dashboard
Developer Day
developers
digital advertising
digital economy
Display
display ads
Doodles
drive
ebooks
education
Election
energy
enhanced campaigns
Enterprise
entrepreneurship
environment
Equatorgate
Fairfax
film
filtering
G'day Google
Getting Aussie Business Online
Gmail
gone google
gonegoogle
google
Google App Engine
Google Apps
Google Apps for Business
Google Apps for Education
Google Art Project
Google Australia
Google Chrome
Google Code
Google docs
Google Drive
Google Earth
google maps
Google Places
google play
Google Search
Google Serve
Google Sites
Google Talk
Google Trends
Google+
Googlers and culture
government
green
Guest blogger
guest speakers
Hangouts
HR
iGoogle
information
innovation
internet
internet industry
IT
Julia Gillard
language
life
local
maps
measurement
media industry
mobile
Moderator
movies
music
navigation
NBN
netball
new features
news
NGEN
non-profit
online advertising
online safety
open government
open source
Partnerships
picasa
play
Policy
politics
prime minister
privacy
prizes
PSI
publishers
puppies
real estate
Reception
recruitment
removals
rentals
reporting
research
Running
scholarships
schools
science
search
search ads
Security
shopping
sitelinks
sketchup
small business
smartphones
SMB
street view
student programs
students
Stupid Google employee tricks
Summer of Code
Support
survey
sydney
symphony
tablet
technology
Themes
tips
training
transit
translate
transparency
transport
Universities
vault
voicesearch
Wave
women
workplace culture
YouTube
YouTube Live
zeitgeiest

Archive

2020
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2019
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2018
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2017
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2016
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2015
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb

2014
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2013
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2012
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2011
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2010
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2009
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2008
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May
- Apr
- Mar
- Feb
- Jan

2007
- Dec
- Nov
- Oct
- Sep
- Aug
- Jul
- Jun
- May

Feed

Media contacts

If you are a member of the press, please email our communications team at:
press-australia-nz@google.com

For all other enquiries, please visit our Help Centre.

Google
Privacy
Terms