Coding, or computer programming, is your way of communicating with technology. It’s the new literacy you need to master to be successful in the coming decades. Like any form of communication, coding takes place through language. Just as there are many human languages (English, French, Mandarin, Spanish, and so on), there are many coding languages!

One way of styling specific elements in CSS is to name your HTML elements. You name your code by using either the id or class attribute, and then style your code by referring to the id or class selector. Naming your code using the id attribute Use the id attribute to style one specific element on your web page.

Python is a general-purpose programming language typically used for web development. This may sound similar to Ruby, and really both languages are more similar than they are different. Python, like Ruby, allows for storing data after the user has navigated away from the page or closed the browser, unlike HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

There are many tools available to help coders do their best work. Before you start coding, do a few housekeeping items. First, ensure that you are doing all of the following: Using the Chrome browser: Download and install the latest version of Chrome, as it offers the most support for the latest HTML standards.

Dates can present problems in data. For one thing, dates are stored as numeric values. However, the precise value of the number depends on the representation for the particular platform and could even depend on the users’ preferences. For example, Excel users can choose to start dates in 1900 or 1904. The numeric encoding for each is different, so the same date can have two numeric values depending on the starting date.

When coding, it’s important to teach kids the basics of setting and finding position. Setting the position of an object means assigning it coordinates to put it in a specific place onscreen. Finding the position of an object means identifying its coordinates to know where it’s located. Using pseudocode While each programming language uses its own structure for setting and finding coordinates, a typical pseudocode expression you may write to set the position of an object looks like this: setx x-coordinate sety y-coordinate Or setposition (x-coordinate, y-coordinate) To find the current position of an object, you can write pseudocode for each separate coordinate: x-position for the x-coordinate of the object, and y-position for the y-coordinate of the object.

Coding is equal parts vocabulary, logic, and syntax. Coding may at first seem intimidating, but with practice, though, it's easy to get comfortable with its terminology, concepts, and structure. Understanding coding is not unlike learning a new language: Use it often enough and you'll find yourself able to speak, think, and write in code.

Coding is fast becoming a skill that every child needs to be educated for in the 21st Century. But coding is taught at only a small fraction of schools, and often only at the high school level. Helping kids learn how to code also means you’re assisting them in developing a skill that is highly marketable and sets them apart from peers at school and later, in their careers.