What is Coding? [Explained in Plain English, for the Average Parent]

With children as young as year 1 learning to code in Australian schools, it’s important for parents to have a good idea of what coding actually is.

With the increasing demand for tech workers in the job market, it’s likely that coding will affect our children heavily throughout their lives. I’d argue that the 20 minutes spent on this article could be the most valuable 20 minutes of your children’s lives.

There are two videos in this article that’ll help you understand coding. If you don’t have time to read or watch this right now, save this page and set a reminder.

Having a firm grasp on coding will allow you to better connect with your child and nurture their coding interests effectively. And best of all, once you take the 20 minutes to understand it, you’ll never have to learn or worry about it again.

Since coding is basically the idea of giving instructions to a computer, it’s important to first understand what a computer is, right down to the core.

Below this section is a video on how computers work. By the end, you’ll gain an appreciation for the processes going on in your phone – and you’ll understand how they work, to the extent that matters.

Don’t worry if you don’t completely understand how we got here (Most computer coders don’t understand this level of computers in its entirety), the important thing is that: You can see that we did in fact get here with these simple connections.

There’s no magic happening in a computer. The physical wiring, and whether there is electricity applied to specific wires (Input), determines whether electricity will flow through (Output).

All computers are built from these simple connections and groups of connections (gates) to form the complex computer systems we have today.

Stick with it. The transformative moment for me happens around the 12-minute mark when we see that a combination of physical wiring connections can create a simple system that can add and subtract two numbers.

Note: I’ve found that watching this video multiple times helps these concepts sink in.

Human input, in computer code
↓
[Coding language converts input]
↓
Computer receives instructions it can understand

Here’s a 4-minute video that’ll help put things in perspective in regards to what coding is:

I found the analogy of computer transistors (the connections) being like the alphabet useful.

There are a finite number of letters, but where letters can go on to make words, then sentences, then entire stories – computers also follow this same levelling from their most simple connections all the way up to the complex software we use like internet browsers or video games.

If you’ve come this far, chances are you’ve already made a difference on your child’s life, whether you realise it or not.

If you want to take this even further, or if by some stroke of luck this has ignited an interest in computers and coding, Crash Course has a comprehensive and entertaining playlist that explores computing from the very basics to the complex systems we have today.

Click here to go to the entire playlist.

Here’s a preview of what it explores:

There’s an astounding amount of information on any particular topic to do with computers or coding available online. Just like I did when finding the videos in this article, you can search simple terms on Youtube like “How does a computer work?” or “What is coding?” or if you want to understand a concept further, something like “What is a transistor?”. In most cases, someone very knowledgeable about the topic has simplified the concept in a comprehensive, 10-minute video. Use this to your advantage.

More children are learning to code at younger ages and are quickly surpassing what their parents can understand. This creates a knowledge gap and inhibits parents from best supporting their children in their coding journey, which will go on to affect their life in a tech-driven world.

Take time to rewatch these videos, or go and research a particular concept that you didn’t quite understand in more depth. Doing this closes the gap and allows you to connect with your child and nurture their interests in coding.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at luke@codekids.com.au

Happy coding!