Notes from #WebSummit: Everybody code now: The new literacy
The code literacy gap is much more than that — it’s a gap in knowledge, in access, and in influence
Details
Date: November 9, 2017
Time: 15:50
Conference stream: FullSTK
Speaker
Rebecca Parsons, CTO, ThoughtWorks, LinkedIn
Web Summit Summary
As scribes were revered in an illiterate past, we’ve placed developers on pedestals. With school children now being taught to code earlier and better, will our ecosystem change as the majority become code-literate in the near future?
Main Theme
With the greatly pervasive force of technology in our lives, a gap in code literacy spells a greater gap — a gap of knowledge, of access, and most importantly, of influence. We must educate and empower more people to understand technology, so that they may have a democratic opportunity in shaping the tools that affect their lives.
The Key Quote
“Tech is really fun. More people should have the opportunity to understand that.”
— Rebecca Parsons, CTO, ThoughtWorks
Key Points
- What is the code literacy gap? With the growing integration of technology into our lives, the few are creating solutions for the many. This has lead to software created with the best of intentions excluding the contexts of the diverse lives they affect. We should work towards narrowing that gap so that people can have agency over software that may drastically impact their lives.
- We must demystify technology. Thinking that something is magic (like many do with technology) forfeits your control of it. In increasing understanding and knowledge of technology, we not only demystify it, but we restore agency and control to those who use it.
- We must empower more people to participate in the creation of technology. Involve people in solving their own problems, in their own contexts — especially as disruption can come at a cost.
- We must allow people to be curious around technology. The big problems our society is facing — climate change, decline of natural resources, etc.— these problems require a great deal of creativity. The more problem solvers we can get involved in tackling them, the greater our chance of producing truly revolutionary solutions.
- Become an agent of code literacy. If you understand technology, you hold the power to unlock that understanding in others. For those of us with that power, it’s on us to teach others.
Reflections
I’ve had the privilege of teaching others how to code through an amazing organization in Canada called Canada Learning Code (formerly Ladies Learning Code). Their mission is simple, and fits elegantly into Dr. Parson’s request:
At Canada Learning Code, we believe that digital skills are tools of empowerment. Our goal is to ensure that all Canadians — particularly women, girls, people with disabilities, Indigenous youth and newcomers — who have been historically underrepresented in the sector are given equal opportunity to build our future.
One thing that strikes me at every workshop is that while these programs are focused on teaching specific tech hard skills (like HTML, CSS, Wordpress) — the confidence and energy gained from the demystifying of technology is something that resonates even more profoundly with students. Give people a chance to learn. Enable them to participate in tech. Empower them to make solutions for themselves.
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