Google Tech Talks\nMarch, 7 2008\n\nABSTRACT\n\nLearning to code has become both more important and more complicated\nin the last decade. We need to make it attractive and easy again.\n\nMost western countries currently experience a shortage of skilled\ncomputing professionals in the employment market. We have seen a\nsimilar problem in the 1990s, but this time the situation is\ndifferent: While the problem in the 90s was university capacity (we\njust couldn\'t educate enough people quickly enough), this time around\nit is enrolment: Universities have the capacity, but not enough\nstudents sign up to study technical, computing related subjects, such\nas computer science or software engineering.\n\nThe real problem lies before university: at school age, students\ndecide against computing as a subject, because it is perceived as\ngeeky, tedious, intellectually not challenging, and most of all\nboring. At the same time, programming in schools is on a sharp decline.\n\nWe need to counter this trend by bringing programming back into\nschools, and make it an engaging, challenging, relevant and enjoyable\nactivity. To be successful, the public sector, academia and business\nshould work together to make this happen.\n\nAt the University of Kent, we have developed two successful\ndevelopment environments, named BlueJ and Greenfoot, and educational\nmaterial to address these challenges. In this presentation, we will\ndiscuss both, with the main focus on Greenfoot, a system for beginners\nto learn Java programming through development of interactive graphical\napplications.\n\nGreenfoot and its associated materials can be used to teach\nprogramming in schools, computer clubs, or to your own children. Kids\ndevelop computer games, and -- almost as an aside -- learn object-\noriented programming in Java.\n\nIn this talk, I will present the software, strategies for learning of\nprogramming, and the benefits and drawback of Java as a first language.\n\nSpeaker: Michael Kölling, Computing Laboratory, University \nMichael Kölling is the lead designer of the BlueJ and Greenfoot programming environments. Both environments are designed for beginners to learn the basics of Java, and are widely used by schools and universities all over the world. Michael is also the founder of the Sun Center of Excellence in Object-Oriented Education at the University of Kent. He works as a Senior Lecturer in the Computing Laboratory at the University of Kent, where he teaches Java to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and is co-author of a successful Java textbook, \"ObjectsFirst With Java.\" education, engedu, google, googletechtalks, talk, talks, techtalk, techtalks