Alexandra Jordan. 9 years old. 4th grade. Likes playdates. Developed an app in her free time.
If you are a regular reader, you know that I am a big fan of teaching programming to kids. Alexandra is learning programming with the help of her dad, saw the need for an app that aids in scheduling playdates for kids, and “Super Fun Kid Time” was born.
You can learn more about Alexandra in this article at Tech Crunch. She recently appeared at the Disrupt Hackathon, and sat down with Colleen Taylor for an interview about her achievement, which also appears in the article. When asked what she liked about programming, Alexandra responded, “I think it’s really calming and a great way to develop thought.”
You can see in the comments on the Tech Crunch article that there are some doubters out there who question Alexandra’s actual contribution to the app development.
Does it really matter? She is in 4th grade and simultaneously attempting to solve a problem and pursue an interest by learning something new and useful on her own time.
A curious, engaged, problem-solving, 9-year-old who finds it soothing to write code and enjoys developing her thinking skills.
I don’t have a problem with that.
Want to teach your students to code? Here are a bunch of resources for you.
Thanks for the support. Alex had a great experience at the hackathon and the key thing was to support her in her interests and give her a positive experience of the tech community and programming. She loved it, so mission accomplished.
I agree! I am glad that she shared her experience, and hope it will inspire many other young people!