Computing For Kids Of Any Age Which is best Scratch, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Swift, Obj C

Computing For Kids Of Any Age Which is best Scratch, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Swift, Obj C


There are many programming languages. Which is the right one to choose ?
Scratch

Having spent a couple of days trying out, I think its fantastic for kids and beginners of all ages.

I wish something like this had been around when I was young

It is a drag and drop interface which is excellent at showing programming in a pictorial way and removes the need for typing more than a few characters at a time.

Despite its simplicity, it can be used to create some complex programs, and it also teaches the concept of event driven code.

This is important as these days the majority of code works on the principle of an event occurring which then triggers a response.

Whilst I doubt there are any career prospects in this language it does teach everything a programmer needs to know and does so in a fun and engaging way.


Python

This is a viable language to learn and be able to find some work using it. Employment options are limited but they do exist.


Pro's

It is a language which can help find employment.
Compared to some languages it is simple to learn. It's not the easiest but not too bad. However if you are a beginner installing it can be tricky.


Con's

It can be tricky to install
Finding a good IDE is tricky. There are a few, some paid for, some free. But they need to be found and do not really share any common ground. Which means skills need to be re learnt when moving between them.


Java

Since it arrived in the 90's it has been seen as having a huge advantage.

Java code will run without modification on any platform which supports Java

In it's early days lots of developers looked at Java, myself included, and saw that although it was trouble some and limited in what it could do. It would not be long before it became the obvious choice for any developer.

Java is now the first language choice for any developer working on large projects.





See my wiki for more on Computing For Kids :
http://dwiki.demystify.org.uk/index.php/Category:Computing_For_Kids