Visionary web designer Alasdair Blackwell is on a mission: “I want to teach the world to code”, he told Metro. “It’s about empowering people to control their computers, instead of the other way round. Software underwrites almost everything we do and people need to understand it.”
The 25-year-old London resident is leading a campaign to put ‘web languages’ HTML, CSS and Javascript on the national curriculum, so that every child in Britain (“and then the world”) receives a compulsory education from the age of six. “We’re submitting a proposal to the Ministry of Education and private bodies,” says Blackwell. “It’s in the consultation phase but there is a lot of support.” His company Decoded already provides free training sessions to kids in London schools and hopes to greatly expand the scheme.
However, the National Union of Teachers is less enthusiastic. “Piecemeal changes only disrupt the preparation that teachers have to make when initiatives are introduced,” a spokesperson told Metro, adding that “opportunities to offer a more creative curriculum are always welcome.”
“Code is all about empowerment”
Alasdair Blackwell, 25, is a former theater actor and director. He is the founder of Decoded, which makes the promise “we take you from zero knowledge to coding cutting edge digital work in one day.”
Q: Why should we all learn to code?
A: You shouldn’t have to pay thousands if you want a website. Publishing HTML is very simple. In a way the digital age has crept up on us so there is a knowledge gap but it’s not a chasm. All code has already been created so you can stand on the shoulders of giants and create something cool and new.
Q: What are the social benefits?
A: It’s about empowerment and using the Internet to the fullest. The knowledge provides individual and collective fulfillment.
Q: What opposition have you faced?
A: Coders can be hostile, because they feel we’re ‘dumbing it down’. That’s natural because we’re loosening the private grip on power by sharing with everyone. When we move on from physical courses to teach-yourself-online it will be even more open.
