It’s never too late—or too early, for that matter—to learn code. Khan Academy has now made it that much easier to do: the much-buzzed about online education startup is rolling out a brand new education portal that will teach the basics of computer science through interactive drawing.
The interface is a simple text editor with an adjacent drawing output field that updates in real time. Students can opt to follow a video step-by-step through a lesson, but also pause and fiddle with variables at their own pace, underscoring the pedagogical approach of contextual, idiosyncratic learning.
“We really wanted to focus on creating something that could inspire young children, and get them excited and motivated to explore CS further,” said Shantanu Sinha, President of Khan Academy.
The hope is that this kind of scaffolded problem-based learning will allow students to really pursue their own personal curiosities and drive their own learning. Also exciting is the portal’s emphasis on creative applications of CS concepts over mere drill-and-kill exercises. It looks like a right step towards closing the gap between technical and creative, left- and right-brain approaches.