by Xinhua writers Guo Ying and Zhao Wanwei
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- "We are designing an anti-drink driving car system, with a master switch and an alcohol sensor," 11-year-old boy Li Jialin said.
Li and his team from Beijing Caoqiao Primary School demonstrated their invention at the Play+Make event for Beijing's primary and secondary school students.
"Drink-driving is prohibited, but there are still drink-driving cases," said Li. They install an alcohol sensor in the steering wheel and set up a program. When the driver presses the vehicle's start switch, the alcohol sensor begins to monitor the concentration of alcohol in the air. If it exceeds a certain standard, the car will issue a warning and will not start.
More than 1,500 students from 16 districts of Beijing showcased their designs at the event. The designs included a vehicle with an environmental detection system and an intelligent baby stroller. While showing great imagination, they all had one other thing in common - they needed programming.
Li learned to use Arduino, an open-source electronics platform, to create interactive objects at school. Young inventors at the event programmed their gadgets with all kinds of programming platforms including Scratch, which offers a visual programming environment.
One of the core skills of information technology, programming is catching on in schools. Wang Jun, an official from Beijing Municipal Education Commission, says more than 200 science and technology demonstration schools in Beijing primary and secondary schools teach programming. More schools are exposing students to programming through extracurricular activities and science societies.
"Programming is a tool, not an end. We hope the students can apply the skills of programming to innovation and develop a problem-solving mindset," Wang says.
In Britain, computer programming is a compulsory course for children above 5 years old. France includes programming as an elective course in primary education.
Although China has yet to add programming to the national school curriculum, some private education providers are eyeing the market.
Codemao is an education company that provides online graphical programming courses for students aged 6 to 16. It also provides an online programming platform where children can design and display their own work, such as games, music and animation.
Li Tianchi, founder of Codemao, is confident of the Chinese programming education market, which he thinks might exceed the market for English study.
"English learning craze derives from the need for people-to-people exchanges in the globalized world. Nowadays, artificial intelligence is creeping into daily life," Li says. "Programming is the 'dialogue' for dealing with artificial intelligence."
"Students are not learning programming to become programmers when they grow up. It is going to become a basic skill for many walks of life. If a doctor requires a surgical robot or an astronomer wants to do a planetary crash simulation experiment, they will need programming skills."
Li is happy to find that many children who indulge in games become game designers, while children who like painting and writing incorporate their hobbies into programming.
From this year, Zhejiang Province is listing information technology as an optional subject in the college entrance examination, and programming is an important part. In cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, pupils with programming talent might improve their chances of getting into better secondary schools.
However, Li wants students to think of programming as "interesting" instead of another cramming subject: "Programming education should focus on how to liberate the students' creativity, not on utilitarian needs."
Makeblock, a Shenzhen-based robotics company, develops programmable education robots, programmable drones and other education products with graphical programming functions. Founded in 2013, Makeblock has gained a market share in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Wang Jianjun, the founder & CEO of Makeblock, says its products are selling in more than 140 countries and regions across the world. One of its star products, mBot for example, has been particularly popular at schools in France and Spain.
But the company is now turning its attention to the Chinese market.
"We are working with more than 1,000 public schools across China to promote programming education," Wang said.
Many parents in China are more open-minded than previous generations and they have more favorable attitudes toward programming and raising more well-rounded children.
He admits he didn't have the chance to learn programming until he was an undergraduate. But now many Chinese children have access to programming at a younger age.
"Children have a lot of creativity, and programming is a useful path to creation, helping them turn their ideas into reality," Wang says.
