5 Free Ways to Learn to Code Online

by Daisy Barrette

A close-up shot of JavaScript code filling a computer screen (source)

Last year I shared a list of kid-friendly coding tools that I’ve used with younger students in my workshops (and for myself!), but if you’re looking for something a bit more advanced or academic, try out these free sites:

1. MIT Open Courseware
   Now anyone can go to MIT! There’s a wide variety of courses, in every subject you can think of. No need to sign up or meet any deadlines, just learn what you want to at your own pace. Get started here.
2. W3Schools
   The place to go for web dev. They’ve got tutorials and reference pages on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, PHP, you name it! Plus my favourite part, the hexadecimal colour picker.
3. Codecademy
   I love the interactivity in Codecademy courses. You don’t just passively take notes, you code along during the lesson. And it’s all done in-browser, so you don’t need to download anything.
4. Free Code Camp
   Get started — or stay in shape — with short, fun programming challenges. You can jump around and do the parts you’re interested in, like algorithms and data visualization, or just start at the beginning.
5. Khan Academy
   Khan Academy is more than just math (though they can still help you with that, too). There’s plenty to choose from, including game design and animation!

There’s plenty more out there, too, especially on YouTube. You may even be able to get access to paid sites like Lynda.com through your local library or school.